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The  autobiography  of  a  blin' 
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U^      ^-/ 


^  ^^ . 


THE 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY 


OF     A 


BLIND    MINISTER; 


INCLUDING 


SIvETCHES  OF  THE  MEN  AND  EVENTS 


OF     HIS     TIME. 


BY  TIMOTHY  WOODBRIDGE,   D.  D. 


BOSTON: 

PUBLISHED   BY  JOHN   P.   JEWETT  AND   COMPANY. 

CLEVELAND,  OHIO: 

JEWETT,   PROCTOR,  AND   TVORTDINGTON. 

NEW   YORK  :    SHELDON,    BLAKEJIAN,   AND    COMPANY. 

1856. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1856, 

BY  JOHN  P.  JEWETT   &   CO., 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  District  of  Massachusetts. 


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28  Phoexix  Building,  Boston. 


PRINTED    BY   D.    S.    FORD    AND    CO. 


.REG.  FEB  ibbc 

k  THSOLOQXGaL/' 


i^u 


CONTENTS 


INTRODUCTION, Page  7 

CHAPTER   I. 

MY  BIRTH  AND  ANCESTRY. 

My  Father. —  My  Mother.  —  President  Edwards.  —  His  Wife.  —  John 
Woodbridge,  my  Ancestor,  who  came  from  England.  —  Character  of 
the  Ejected  Ministers 11 

CHAPTER   II. 

MY  BOYHOOD. 

Description  of  Stockbridge.  —  Our  Pastor's  Theological  School. — My 
First  Recollection.  —  My  First  Sporting  Adventure.  —  Manner  of 
Keeping  the  Sabbath.  —  Sketch  of  Dr.  West.  —  Peculiar  Society  of 
Stockbridge.  —  Our  District  School.  —  A  Fishing  Incident,  with  its 
Effect  on  my  Mind.  —  Indians.  —  Death  of  my  Father.     .        .        19 

CHAPTER   III. 

MY   SCHOLASTIC   EDUCATION. 

Character  of  my  Brother,  and  his  relation  to  me. — Went  to  Classical 
School  at  Norfolk.  —  Character  of  Rev.  Mr.  Robbins,  my  Teacher.  — 
Visit  to  my  Uncle,  Dr.  Edwards.  —  Entered  College.  —  Letters  from 
College 40 

CHAPTER    lY. 

MY  SCHOLASTIC  EDUCATION. 
Loss  of  Sight.  —  Feeling  in  view  of  this  Event.  —Entered  upon  the  Study 
of  Law.  —  Course  of  my  Reading.  —Notices  of  the  best  Books,  par- 
ticularly such  as  were  most  useful  to  me.  —  Tribute  to  H.  D.  Sedg- 


wick. 


47 


(iii) 


IV  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER    y. 

MY    PROFESSIONAL    EDUCATION, 

New  Phase  of  Letters.  —  Studies  in  a  Garret.  —  Political  Aspirations.  — 
Fourth,  of  July  Oration.  —  Interview  with  Aaron  Bxirr.  —  His  Char- 
acter  60 

CHAPTER   YI. 

MY  PROFESSIONAL  EDUCATION. 

My  Religious  Change. — Abandoned  Law  and  went  to  Andover.  —  Let- 
ters to  my  Brother.  —  Character  of  Dr.  Griffin.  —  Professor  Stuart. 

—  Dr.  Woods.  —  Notice  of  Mills,  Pioneer  of  Foreign  Missions.    .     69 

CHAPTER    YII. 

MY  PROFESSIONAL  EDUCATION. 

Journey  to  Connecticut  on  Foot.  —  Sketch  of  Mills.  —  Creation  of  Board 
of  Missions.  —  Fall  Vacation.  —  Curiosity  of  the  Clergy  about  Ando- 
ver. —  Letter  from  Professor  Dewey.  — Introduction  to  First  Sermon. 

—  Visit  to  Dr.  Kirkland.  —  Letter  to  H.  D.  Sedgwick.  —  Character  of 
Buckminster.  —  Interview  with  Chief  Justice  Parsons.  —  Letters  from 
Cyrus  Byington 82 

CHAPTER    YIIl. 

EARLY  STAGES  OF  MY  PROFESSION. 

Licensed  to  Preach.  —  Preaching  in  Boston.  —  Letters  from  Amos  Law- 
rence. —  Letter  from  Rev.  Mr.  Durfee.  —  Return  to  Andover.  — 
Course  of  Reading.  —  Barrow's  Sermons.  —  Letter  from  Cyrus  By- 
ington.  99 

CHAPTER    IX. 

EARLY  STAGES  OF  MY  PROFESSION. 

Letter  from  Professor  Dewey.  —  Letter  from  Charles  Sedgwick.  —  Letter 
to  my  Sister.  — Death  of  Washington.  — Declaration  of  War. — Ex- 
tract from  Professor  Kellogg's  Letter.  —  A  War  Scene.  —  Reminis- 
cence of  Webster. —  British  Officers 116 


CHAPTER    X. 

EARLY  STAGES  OF  MY  PROFESSION. 

Primitive  Christianity,  in  a  Letter  to  my  Brother.  —  Extracts  from  Let- 
ters to  my  Brother  and  Sister.  —  Sketch  of  Dr.  Mason's  Preaching  at 
Stockbridge 129 


CONTENTS.  V 

CHAPTER    XL 

MY  RESIDENCE  IN   NEW  YORK. 

Chai-acter  of  Dr.  Mason.  —  Notice  of  Rev.  Mr.  Whelpley.  —  Judge  Liv- 
ingston.—  Judge  Story. — Funeral  of  a  Poor  Girl.  —  Amherst  Col- 
lege—  Casual  Conversation  that  led  to  its  Foundation.  .         .         147 

CHAPTER    XII. 

MY  MINISTRY  AT  GREEN  RIVER. 

Description  of  the  Place.  —  Preached  at  Green  River. — Preached  at 
Pittsfield.  —  Ordination.  — Movements  to  give  me  a  Call.  —  Installa- 
tion. —  Set  up  Housekeeping.  —  Bible  Class.  —  Extensive  Revival.  — 
An  Interesting  Conversion. —  Pierpont  Edwards.         .         .         .161 

CHAPTER    XIII. 

MY  MINISTRY  AT  GREEN  RIVER. 

Attended  General  Assembly.  —  Erection  of  a  New  Church.  —  Letter  to 
the  Young  Lady  in  my  Family.  —  Letter  to  my  Brother.  —  Letter  to 
my  Family.  —  Set  up  a  Classical  School.  —  My  Adopted  Son.  —  Letter 
to  Him. — New  Measureism. — One-Idea  Men. — Another  Revival.       177 

CHAPTER    XIY. 

MY  MINISTRY  AT  GREEN  RIVER. 

Tour  to  the  West.  —  Letter  to  my  Family.  —  Reading  of  Campbell's 
Gertrude,  and  his  remarks  when  he  heard  of  it.  —  Call  to  West 
Stockbridge  Village.  —  Mode  of  Preparing  Sermons.  —  Economy  of 
my  Household.  —  Description  of  my  dog  Trippy.  —  The  Trout 
Stream,  Green  River. — Call  from  Spencertown. — State  of  Feeling 
in  Green  River.  —  Retrospection 199 

CHAPTER    XY. 

MY  MINISTRY  AT  SPENCERTOWN. 

Description  of  Spencertown.  —  Dr.  Porter.  —  Elisha  Williams.  —  Instal- 
lation. —  Anxious  Labors  and  Consequent  Decline  of  Health.  —  Letter 
to  Mr.  Lester.  —  Musical  Address. 218 


CHAPTER    XYI. 

MY  MINISTRY  AT  SPENCERTOWN. 

My  marriage  —  Letter  on  the  occasion,  from  Professor  Kellogg.  —  Acad- 
emy. —  Notice  of  B.  Ambler.  —  Dedication  of  Academy.  —  Zadoc 
Pratt. — The  Chase  Family.— Letters  from  Mr.  and  Miss  Chase.      232 

1* 


VI  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER    XVII, 

MY  mXISTRY  AT  SPENCERTOWN. 

Letter  to  Mr.  Lester.  —  Letter  from  Mr.  Lester,  from  Rome.  —  His  Inter- 
view with  the  Pope.  — Typhoid  Fever.  —  Donation  Visit.  —  Resigna- 
tion of  the  Pastorate.  —  Action  of  the  Presbytery  and  the  Congrega- 
tion.—  Appointment  to  General  Assembly.  —  Position  of  Presbytery 
in  regard  to  Old  and  New  Schools.  —  Exciting  Subjects  in  General 
Assembly.  —  Female  Seminaries.  —  Miss.  G.  ...         248 

CHAPTER    XVIII. 

JOURNEY  TO  OHIO. 

Description  of  Cleveland.  —  Dayton.  —  Teachers'  Convention  in  that 
City.  —  State  of  Education  in  Ohio.  —  Visit  to  Cincinnati.  —  Remarks 
on  National  Vanity.  —  Return  from  Ohio,  with  General  Reflections.  — 
Passage  on  Lake  Erie 285 

CHAPTER    XIX. 
HISTORIC  DRAMA  OF  MY  TIME 295 

CHAPTER    XX. 

mSCELLANEOUS  RE^HNISCENCES 301 


INTRODUCTION 


For  many  years  I  have  contemplated  writing  this  sketch. 
My  life  has  been  peculiar,  and  may  afford  some  useful  lessons 
to  others,  particularly  to  young  men;  who  will  learn  that 
adverse  events,  to  which  they  are  all  exposed,  need  not  subdue 
them.  Difficulties  encountered  with  cheerful  resolution  are 
generally  overcome ;  and  the  history  of  every  resolute  man 
proves  the  truth  of  Bolingbroke's  remark,  —  that  "trophies 
of  glory  are  often  built  upon  what  the  world  considers  our 
own  ruins." 

I  trust  that,  by  writing  my  own  biography,  I  shall  not  be 
thought  to  assume  a  rank  in  the  scale  of  importance  which 
does  not  belong  to  me.  I  have  often  been  requested  to  do  it, 
and  requested  by  men  whose  wishes  I  would  not  slightly 
regard.  Several  eminent  men  have  written  to  me,  requesting 
some  passages  of  my  life,  and  desiring  to  know  how  I  made 
my  literary  and  theological  acquisitions  —  how  I  composed  my 
sermons,  and  performed  the  vai'ied  duties  of  the  pastorate.  I 
had  also  understood  that  some  gentlemen  were  determined  that 
my  life  should  be  written ;  and,  if  this  was  to  be  done,  I 
considered  that  it  was  so  unique  that  no  one  could  draw  up  the 
biography  but  myself.  I  know  the  history  of  my  own  life 
vastly  better  than  any  other  man  can  possibly  know  it ;  and, 
if  self-love  has  thrown  a  few  roseate  tints  into  some  of  the 
pictures,  it  is  still  better  that  I  should  hold  the  pencil,  than 
another  man  who  could  not  understand  so  peculiar  a  subject. 

(7) 


Vm  INTRODUCTION. 

I  feel  myself  coerced  to  this  task,  and  I  cheerfully  perform 
it,  as  I  have  embodied  in  my  narrative  some  interesting  facts, 
touching  the  history  of  our  country  and  its  eminent  men,  which 
were  fast  floating  down  the  stream  of  oblivion. 

I  consider  it  a  matter  of  little  consequence  to  the  interest 
of  this  work,  whether  I  occupy  the  Diocese  of  London,  or  the 
Vicarage  of  Wakefield.  In  the  opinion  of  sensible  men,  char- 
acters are  to  be  estimated,  not  by  adventitious  circumstances, 
but  by  their  intellectual  and  moral  attributes.  If  I  have  not 
permanently  occupied  those  stations  in  the  Church  which  in 
their  secular  relations  are  considered  primary,  I  have  labored 
m  very  important  positions,  and  have  seen  spring  up  into 
commanding  and  influential  situations  successive  generations 
of  young  men  and  women,  whose  characters  have  been  moulded 
by  my  conversation  and  preaching. 

"From  scenes  like  these  our  country's  glories  rise." 

It  is  no  more  necessary  to  the  interest  or  utility  of  such  a 
narrative  that  it  should  concern  an  Archbishop,  walking  on  the 
gilded  pinnacles  of  the  Church,  than  it  was  to  the  success  of 
Claude  Lorraine's  pencil  that  he  should  abandon  the  cot  of  the 
mountain  shepherd,  with  its  home  touches,  for  the  gorgeous 
scenery  of  the  Bay  of  Naples.  Those  maxims  for  wise  living 
which  we  all  need,  are  not  to  be  gathered  from  the  history 
of  those  who  have  been  decorated  with  the  insignia  of  worldly 
distinction,  for  they  are  appHcable  only  to  a  few ;  but  those 
lessons  spring  up  from  the  ongoings  of  every-day  life.  The 
honest  history  of  any  individual  man  is  always  entertaining 
and  instructive ;  and  it  is  somewhat  strange  that,  while  the 
literature  of  other  great  nations  is  enriched  with  this  fascinating 
department  of  letters,  our  language  should  be  so  poor  in  private 
and  individual  history,  and  particularly  in  Autobiography. 

The  loss  of  my  sight,  at  an  early  period  of  life,  seemed  to 
others  to  cast  a  deep  cloud  over  my  prospects  —  to  throw  up  a 
frowning  barrier  which  I  could  not  pass.    But  it  did  not  seem 


INTRODUCTION.  IX 

SO  to  me,  nor  did  I  find  it  so.  Even  after  this  apparently 
unpropitious  event,  I  determined  to  practice  law,  and  prosecuted 
its  studies  with  glowing  prospects.  But  I  was  diverted  from 
this  design  by  causes  the  reader  will  find  unfolded  in  the 
ensuing  narrative.  I  became  a  Minister  of  the  Gospel,  and 
have  pursued  this  vocation,  with  unmitigated  earnestness, 
through  life.  "We  have  not  many  records  in  Church  annals  — ■ 
though  a  few  of  great  brilliancy  —  of  men  in  my  situation 
sustaining  the  hard  work  of  a  faithful  and  wddely-extended 
pastorate. 

I  have  not  written  this  sketch,  I  hope,  in  any  other  spirit 
than  one  of  gratitude  to  a  kind  Providence  for  having  smoothed 
the  roughnesses  of  my  way ;  and  with  a  desire  to  ofier  to  my 
brethren  of  the  same-  pursuit,  in  all  denominations,  a  lesson  of 
encouragement  in  the  high  service  of  our  common  Master.  I 
am  gratified,  also,  in  believing  that  in  a  country  which  has 
had  such  an  origin,  and  such  a  history  as  ours,  where  so  many 
religious  and  hterary  institutions  have  been  founded  —  the 
general  reader,  who  recognizes  the  Scriptures,  will  find  little 
that  will  conflict  with  his  own  generous  and  humane  sentiments : 
while  he  may  read  with  some  pleasure  the  story  of  a  man,  who, 
although  dedicated  for  life  to  a  sacred,  and  often  considered  an 
exclusive,  profession,  has  thrown  out  his  sympathies  over  all 
around  him,  and  carried  into  every  scene  of  life  and  labor  the 
genial  spirit  of  our  liberal  institutions ;  and  the  diffusive 
kindness  of  one  who  has  risen  above  the  frowning  barriers  of 
sect,  although  decidedly  preferring  the  distiuctive  peculiarities 
of  a  particular  department  of  the  Church. 

I  have  never  felt  that  consecration  to  my  Master's  cause  has 
chilled  any  of  my  social  sympathies;  or  shut  me  out  of  the 
inspiring  scenes  of  national  progress ;  or  excluded  me  from  the 
hallowed  society  of  that  venerable  company  of  scholars  who 
have  di-ank  deeply  from  the  fountains  of  classic  learning. 

I  have  delayed  this  work  until  I  resigned  the  pastoral  office, 
with  its  incessant  pressures,  and  found  myself  in  a  position 


X  INTRODUCTION. 

where,  in  the  full  strength  of  life,  leisure  made  almost  every 
hour  propitious  to  composition.  With  the  aid  of  a  phonographic 
amanuensis,  I  have,  with  the  facility  of  conversation,  dictated 
tliis  unpretending  sketch.  It  is  written  with  an  earnest  desire 
to  shed  some  light  over  passages  and  aspects  of  life  not  well 
understood,  and  to  impart  the  radiance  of  hope  to  those  clouds 
which  often  hang  over  existence. 

I  commit  it  to  the  blessing  of  Heaven. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY. 


CHAPTER   I. 

MY  BIRTH  AND  ANCESTRY. 

My  Father. —  My  Mother.  — President  Edwards.  —  His  Wife.  —  John 
Woodbridge,  my  Ancestor  who  came  from  England.  —  Character  of 
the  Ejected  Ministers. 

I  WAS  born  in  Stockbridge,  Mass.,  November  24th, 
1784.  My  father  was  lion.  Jahleel  Woodbridge. 
He  was  brought  to  this  beautiful  valley  by  my  grand- 
father, when  he  was  a  child ;  and  his  character  was  de- 
veloped and  moulded  amid  the  sunny  and  romantic 
scenery  which  surrounds  that  loveliest  spot  on  the 
Housatonic,  and  by  the  powerful  moral  elements 
which  Providence  had  concentrated  in  that  remark- 
able place. 

He  was  educated  at  Princeton  College,  N.  J.  I  do 
not  know  what  circumstances  determined  him  to  that 
institution,  unless  it  was  the  fact  that  the  illustrious 
Edwards,  the  pastor  of  his  boyhood,  had  been  presi- 
dent of  the  college.     He  graduated  in  1761. 

On  returning  to  his  home,  his  fellow-citizens,  who 
regarded  him  with  great  favor,  immediately  forced 
him  into  a  large  number  of  public  employments,  which 

(11) 


12  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

prevented  him  from  pursuing  a  particular  profession, 
and  engrossed  his  whole  life.  In  his  early  youth  he 
discharged  the  duties  of  many  town  offices,  and  while 
quite  a  young  man  was  sent  to  the  Legislature,  in 
both  branches  of  which  he  repeatedly  served.  He 
was  an  associate,  and  afterwards  presiding,  Judge  of 
the  Court  of  Common  Pleas,  and  held  for  many  years 
the  office  of  Judge  of  Probate  for  the  County  of 
Berkshire. 

He  took  a  very  active  part  in  the  measures  which 
were  preliminary  to  the  war  of  Independence ;  and  I 
have  observed  his  name  conspicuously  recorded  in  the 
conventions  which  were  often  held  in  Massachusetts, 
during  that  stormy  and  exciting  period,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  resisting  British  encroachments,  and  arousing 
the  public  mind  to  the  great  struggle  which  was  com- 
ing. He  rendered  active  service  during  the  war,  par- 
ticularly in  the  commissary's  department  —  making 
unsparing  sacrifices  of  property  to  help  along  the 
patriot  cause. 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Field,  in  his  History  of  Berkshire, 
gives  the  following  view  of  my  father's  character: 
"  He  was  highly  esteemed  for  his  good  sense,  integ- 
rity and  piety ;  he  was  of  a  philosophic  and  even  tem- 
per; of  large  private  charity,  and  eminent  public 
spirit.     His  piety  was  of  the  stern  Puritan  stamp." 

My  mother  was  a  daughter  of  President  Edwards. 
I  have  no  recollection  of  her,  but  have  always  under- 
stood, from  those  who  knew  her  well,  that  she  was 
graceful,  intellectual,  affectionate,  and  pious ;  and  that 
she  superadded  to  these  qualities  great  energy  and 
force  of  character.  I  have  heard  many  anecdotes  of 
her,  tending  to  illustrate  her  benevolence  and  social 


A   BLIND   MINISTER.  *  13 

influence.  A  few  years  ago,  in  a  neighboring  congre- 
gation, when  I  preached  on  a  particular  occasion,  I 
met  a  man  advanced  in  life,  who  told  me  he  was 
brought  up  in  Stockbridge,  and  wanted  to  know  my 
parentage.  When  he  found  I  was  a  son  of  Lucy  Ed- 
wards, he  lifted  up  his  voice  and  wept  so  loudly  as  to 
frighten  us  all.  "  God  bless  you,  sir !"  said  he;  "are 
you  a  son  of  Lucy  Edwards  ?  Her  face  seems  to  me 
like  the  face  of  an  angel.  I  was  a  poor  lad  in  Stock- 
bridge,  and  she  taught  me  to  read  and  write,  and  in- 
culcated on  me  the  sublime  lessons  of  Christian  mor- 
als and  rehgion;  and  her  kindness  to  me  has  been  the 
cause  of  all  the  respectability  I  have  enjoyed  in  hfe." 
He  then  put  his  withered  arms  around  me,  and  wept 
like  a  child. 

My  parents  had  nine  children,  five  sons  and  four 
daughters,  of  whom  I  was  the  youngest  by  four  years. 
Some  of  the  elder  branches  of  the  family  were  estab- 
lished in  life  before  I  can  remember. 

It  has  always  been  a  matter  of  grateful  recollection 
to  me,  that  I  am  a  grandson  of  "  God's  own  immortal 
Edwards,"  —  as  my  grandfather  is  often  called  in  the- 
ological writings.  Perhaps  the  Father  of  Lights  be- 
stowed on  him  as  capacious  an  intellect  as  ever  fell  to 
the  lot  of  any  man  in  this  country.  His  mind  was 
massive  and  pliant,  acute  and  comprehensive.  He  had 
imagination  enough  to  have  unbalanced  a  common 
mind ;  but  in  his  case  imagination  was  the  handmaid 
of  reason,  and  was  kept  in  supreme  subordination  to 
that  higher  faculty,  and  was  employed  only  to  illus- 
trate truth  which  reason  discovered^ 

The   enlightened  criticism  of  both  continents  has 
pronounced  Edwards  to  be  the  mightiest  man  who  has 
2 


14  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

lived  in  the  Western  world ;  and  the  opinion  is  quite 
as  common  among  philosophers,  that  he  has  put  forth 
the  greatest  influence  upon  the  thinking  mind  of  the 
two  past  generations,  of  any  man  who  has  lived  during 
this  period.  Sir  James  Mackintosh  regarded  him  as  the 
acutest  metaphysician  that  had  lived.  His  Essay  on 
the  Will  is  the  most  stupendous  structure  of  intellect- 
ual mechanism  in  the  English  language. 

But  while  the  intellectual  eminence  of  Edwards  is 
universally  admitted,  little  is  popularly  known  about 
his  wife,  who  was  a  woman  of  mark,  and  was  thought 
in  her  day  to  be  as  remarkable  as  her  illustrious  hus- 
band. Some  things  in  regard  to  her  extraordinary 
qualities  have  wandered  down  to  us  in  writings  of 
that  time,  and  more  have  been  conveyed  to  us  by  tra- 
dition. She  was  a  woman  of  extraordinary  genius ; 
and  had  it  not  been  for  the  grace  of  God  and  the  Puri- 
tanic manners  which  surrounded  her,  she  would  have 
become  one  of  the  most  brilKant,  fanciful,  and  mag- 
nificent writers  and  enthusiasts  of  any  age.  There 
were  concealed  in  the  depth  of  her  bosom,  under  the 
chill  manners  of  that  period,  hidden  fires,  which  would 
have  given  birth,  in  their  display,  to  qualities  that 
have  won  immortal  renown  for  the  heroines  of 
history. 

I  am  directly  descended  from  John  Woodbridge,  one 
of  the  two  thousand  ministers  who  were  ejected  from 
the  Church  Establishment  of  England,  by  the  infa- 
mous Act  of  Conformity,  passed  in  1662.  "  However 
some  afi'ect  to  treat  these  men  with  indifi"erence,  and 
suppose  that  their  consciences  were  more  tender  than 
they  need  have  been,  it  must  be  remembered  that  they 
were  men  of  extensive  learning,  great  abihties,  and 


A  BLIND   MINISTER.  15 

pious  conduct  as  ever  appeared."  Locke,  if  his  opin- 
ion has  any  weight,  calls  them  "worthy,  pious, 
learned,  orthodox  divines,  who  did  not  throw  them- 
selves out  of  service,  but  were  forcibly  ejected."  Mr. 
Bogue  thus  draws  their  character :  "  As  to  their  pub- 
lic ministrations,  they  were  orthodox,  experimental, 
serious,  affectionate,  regular,  faithful,  able,  popular 
preachers.  As  to  their  moral  qualities,  they  were  de- 
vout and  holy,  faithful  to  Christ  and  the  souls  of  men, 
wise  and  prudent,  of  great  liberality  and  kindness, 
strenuous  advocates  for  liberty,  civil  and  religious. 
As  to  their  intellectual  qualities,  they  were  learned, 
eminent,  and  laborious.  These  men  were  driven  from 
their  houses,  from  the  society  of  their  friends,  and 
exposed  to  the  greatest  difficulties.  Their  burdens 
were  greatly  increased  by  the  Conventicle  Act,  where- 
by they  were  prohibited  from  meeting  for  the  exer- 
cise of  religion,  above  five  in  number,  in  any  other 
manner  than  allowed  by  the  Liturgy,  or  practice  of  the 
Church  of  England." 

Mr.  Woodbridge,  my  ancestor,  must  have  been  a 
man  of  great  consideration  and  influence  among  the 
ejected  ministers.  We  infer  this  from  the  fact  that  he 
was  associated,  by  the  appointment  of  the  ejected 
ministers,  with  the  celebrated  Richard  Baxter,  to  ad- 
vocate and  sustain  their  cause  in  a  conference  with  the 
bishops,  in  the  presence  of  the  king,  at  the  Savoy 
House. 

The  absence  of  these  excellent  men  from  the  Church 
seemed  to  empty  the  Establishment  of  its  holiness 
and  learning.  This  event  made  a  deep  and  painful 
impression  upon  the  nation,  and  it  became  necessary 
that   some   measures   should  be   attempted   to  bring 


16.  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

about  a  reconciliation  of  the  parties,  if  possible.  Bax- 
ter and  Woodbridge  were  intrepid  and  able  champions 
of  the  great  cause  committed  to  their  advocacy;  and 
they  were  not  men  to  compromit  their  consciences  or 
the  consciences  of  their  brethren.  They  would 
sooner  have  been  made  victims  than  surrender  a 
principle. 

This  famous  Conference  was  a  failure,  as  no  terms 
of  conciliation  could  be  agreed  upon. 

Mr.  Woodbridge  was  very  popular  with  his  people  ; 
who  insisted  on  his  remaining  with  them,  to  preach  in 
such  places  as  they  could  congregate  in.  He  made 
several  efforts  to  preach ;  but  his  assemblies  were  soon 
broken  up  by  the  intrusion  of  the  King's  soldiers.  At 
length,  baffled  and  wearied  in  his  efforts  to  do  good  at 
home,  he  resolved  to  go  to  America.  He  crossed  the 
ocean,  and  landed  at  Boston,  where  his  fame  had  pre- 
ceded him.  Just  at  this  conjuncture,  a  church  had 
been  organized  at  Andover,  since  the  seat  of  a  dis- 
tinguished Theological  Seminary.  Here  he  was  imme- 
diately installed  as  pastor  ;  but  while  he  was  proceed- 
ing in  his  ministry  with  distinguished  popularity  and 
success,  a  committee  of  his  old  congregation  in  Eng- 
land arrived  at  Boston,  and  hastened  to  Andover  to 
persuade  Mr.  Woodbridge  to  return  to  his  former 
charge,  who  waited  for  his  coming  with  the  most  en- 
thusiastic affection.  They  cherished  a  hope  that  the 
fires  of  persecution  had  gone  down  and  would  not  be 
rekindled. 

The  eminent  man  in  question,  after  deliberately  con- 
sidering the  matter  before  him,  concluded  to  return  to 
his  old  scene  of  labor,  and  took  measures  regularly  to 
withdraw  from  his  American  charge.     His  return  to 


A   BLIND   MINISTER.  17 

England  was  hailed  with  deep  gladness,  and  he  re-en- 
tered upon  the  work  of  preaching.  He  is  described 
by  his  cotemporaries  as  a  man  of  great  eloquence,  and 
his  preaching  drew  around  him  large  assemblies.  His 
movements  soon  attracted  the  attention  of  govern- 
ment, and  files  of  the  King's  troops  were  again 
marched  in  upon  his  congregations,  who  were  com- 
pelled to  disperse  by  the  clash  and  terror  of  arms. 

Mr.  Woodbridge,  perceiving  it  was  vain  to  try  to 
prosecute  his  ministry  in  England,  and  remembering 
the  direction  of  his  Master — "  If  they  persecute  you 
in  one  city,  flee  to  another" — resolved  to  return  to  his 
loved  America. 

On  arriving  at  Boston,  he  received  an  invitation  to 
become  the  pastor  of  a  prominent  church  in  that 
citadel  of  Puritanism.  This  call  he  accepted,  and 
entered  w^ith  his  accustomed  earnestness  upon  his 
pastoral  labors,  which  he  prosecuted  with  great 
acceptance  for  a  few  years,  when  a  difference  of 
opinion  arose  between  him  and  his  church,  upon 
certain  matters  of  ecclesiastical  government,  which 
determined  him  to  resign  his  charge. 

His  abilities  had  attracted  the  attention  of  the 
public,  who  demanded  that  they  should  be  put  in 
requisition  in  the  civil  service,  and  he  was  soon 
appointed  a  judge  of  the  court  at  Boston,  which  office 
he  held  till  his  death. 

I  have  a  cousin  at  Stockbridge,  who  is  a  great 
antiquarian,  and  who  has  diligently  traced  back  our 
family  into  the  Dark  Ages.  She  writes  me  that  we 
are  descended  from  the  famous  Earl  of  Warwick,  who 
has  long  had  the  soubriquet  of  the  "  Setter-up  and 
Putter-down  of  kings."  Whether  this  genealogy  is 
2* 


18  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  A  BLIND   MINISTER. 

correct  or  not,  I  do  not  know,  and  am  not  careful  to 
inquire.  I  feel  little  pleasure  in  deducing  my  descent 
from  the  bloody  barons  of  the  Dark  Ages  ;  but  it  is 
to  me  a  source  of  gratification  and  gratitude  that  I 
am  descended  from  the  Puritan  race,  who  came  hither 
that  religion  and  liberty  might  have  a  country  and  a 
home.* 

*  The  above  account  of  John  Woodbridge  is,  I  believe,  entirely  accurate, 
though  the  statements  of  antiquarian  writers  in  relation  to  him  have 
been  various.  My  account  is  written  from  memory,  and  my  memory 
seldom  deceives  me.  I  read  the  facts  above  related  in  an  old  English 
edition  of  Neal's  History  of  the  Puritans,  which  is  not  now  within  my 
reach.  I  rely  with  undoubting  confidence  on  the  history  of  John  Wood- 
bridge  as  I  have  given  it;  though,  among  the  variations  to  which  I  have 
referred,  the  name  of  Benjamin  has  been  given  him. 


CHAPTER   U. 

MY  BOYHOOD. 

Description  of  Stockbridge.  —  Our  Pastor's  Theological  School.  —  My 
First  Recollection.  —  Sly  First  Sporting  Adventure.  —  Manner  of 
Keeping  the  Sabbath.  —  Sketch  of  Dr.  West.  —  Peculiar  Society  of 
Stockbridge.  —  Our  District  School.  —  A  Fishing  Incident,  with  its 
Effect  on  my  Mind.  —  Indians.  —  Death  of  my  Father. 

In  reflecting  on  the  scenes  of  my  birth  and  training, 
my  heart  impels  me  to  take  up  the  grateful  exclamation 
of  the  Psalmist :  ^^  The  lines  have  fallen  to  me  in 
pleasant  places ;  yea,  I  have  a  goodly  heritage." 

Stockbridge,  at  the  time  I  began  my  path  of  life, 
was  a  remarkable  and  interesting  spot  in  several 
respects.  The  scenery,  as  the  whole  country  knows, 
is  pre-eminently  sweet  and  beautiful,  and  scenery  is 
among  the  elements  that  enter  into  the  formation  of 
character.  The  noble  belt  of  hills  that  stretch  along 
its  western  boundary,  and  form  a  bold  and  high 
barrier  on  the  south  and  southeast,  give  a  sheltered 
appearance  to  the  sunny  valleys  along  the  Housatonic. 
We  who  resided  there,  fancied  that  the  beautiful 
scenery  of  the  town  imparted  a  kindly  influence  to 
the  temper  of  the  inhabitants,  and  was  in  fine  keeping 
with  the  character  of  the  dwellers  in  those  happy 
vales. 

But  Stockbridge  had  higher  claims  to  consideration 

(19) 


20  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

than  those  furnished  by  her  noble  river,  her  lakes,  her 
laughing  valleys,  and  circumjacent  mountains.  It  was 
the  residence  of  a  considerable  number  of  eminent 
men,  and  conspicuous  and  refined  families.  Men  of 
high  distinction  in  all  the  learned  professions  belonged 
to  Stockbridge. 

Through  the  early  part  of  my  life,  we  had  there  the 
Eev.  Dr.  West,  an  eminent  and  learned  clergyman  of 
the  place,  who  kept  a  theological  school  in  his  own 
house,  where  a  number  of  young  men  prosecuted 
their  preparatory  studies,  and  entered  upon  the 
ministry  under  the  auspices  of  their  distinguished 
teacher,  and  have  taken  their  places  among  the  flower 
of  the  clergy.  There  were  at  that  time  no  the- 
ological seminaries ;  and  aspirants  for  the  pulpit 
resorted,  from  necessity,  to  eminent  and  learned  min- 
isters for  direction  and  instruction  in  their  preparatory 
course  of  studies. 

There  were,  undoubtedly,  some  advantages  in  that 
mode  of  preparation  for  the  ministry  which  cannot  be 
enjoyed  in  theological  institutions.  The  student  had 
before  his  eye  the  example  of  a  model  minister,  and 
he  was  gradually  inducted  by  his  instructor  into  the 
diversified  duties  of  the  pastoral  office.  Men  trained 
in  that  way  for  the  work  of  the  ministry  were  more 
practical,  and  better  acquainted  with  the  details  of 
pastoral  duty,  than  it  is  possible  for  young  men  to  be 
who  issue  forth  upon  the  churches  from  the  seclusion 
of  a  theological  seminary.  These  public  institutions, 
undoubtedly,  have  their  peculiar  advantages.  They 
bring  together  and  sustain  a  number  of  learned  pro- 
fessors, and  have  large  libraries,  such  as  no  private 
teacher  can  command. 


A  BLIND   MINISTER.  21 

But,  when  we  reflect  upon  the  stability  of  our 
churches  and  pastors  under  the  old  system  of  edu- 
cating ministers,  and  contrast  it  with  the  fickleness  of 
the  churches  and  the  rapid  rotation  of  pastors  at  the 
present  time,  we  cannot  avoid  the  belief  that  the 
former  practical  method  of  training  young  men  for 
the  ministry,  fitted  them  better  to  guide  the  churches 
than  the  theological  seminary.  Far  be  it  from  me  to 
insinuate  that  the  rapid  shifting  of  ministers,  which 
we  all  observe,  is  to  be  exclusively,  or  even  mainly, 
ascribed  to  public  institutions.  Many  other  causes 
have  contributed  to  this  state  of  things,  which  all 
good  men  deplore. 

Perhaps  a  method  of  education  which  shall  blend 
the  advantages  of  the  two  systems  here  referred  to, 
would  be  practicable  and  desirable.  It  would  be  well 
for  a  young  probationer  for  the  ministry,  before  going 
forth  with  his  panoply  to  the  churches,  to  spend  a  few 
months  with  some  eminent  pastor.  He  w^ould  thus 
become  imbued  with  the  unction  of  the  holy  office, 
and  would  acquire  a  great  many  lessons  of  practical 
wisdom  and  Christian  prudence  from  the  mature 
learning  and  large  experience  of  a  veteran  servant 
of  the  church. 

We  had  also,  at  the  time  referred  to,  in  my  native 
village,  eminent  physicians,  who  attracted  to  their 
offices  numerous  medical  students. 

The  very  distinguished  lawyers  who  resided  in 
Stockbridge,  instituted  and  guided  law  schools.  The 
number  of  legal  students  in  the  different  offices  of 
the  village  was  very  considerable. 

These  causes  gathered  a  great  number  of  educated 
men  into  that  favored  spot,  and  furnished  an  enlight- 


22  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

ened  and  cultivated  society.  I  recollect  belonging  to 
a  debating  club,  which  contained  eighteen  young  men 
who  had  been  educated  at  college  ;  and  besides  these, 
we  embraced  in  our  circle  a  number  of  gentlemen  of 
no  contemptible  literary  and  scientific  attainments.  In 
these  scenes  my  boyhood  was  developed. 

In  my  third  year,  my  mother  died.  The  death  of 
such  a  mother  was  an  irreparable  loss,  though,  from 
my  tender  age,  I  could  have  had  no  perception  of  the 
extent  of  the  calamity.     I  had  now 

"  No  mother's  care, 


To  sMeld  my  infant  innocence  with  prayer." 

It  has  always  been  to  me  a  matter  of  deep  sorrow 
that  I  had  no  mother  to  whom  I  might  show  kindness. 
This  is  the  most  delightful  form  of  fihal  piety. 

The  care  of  me  now  devolved  upon  my  sisters,  who 
undoubtedly  treated  me  with  the  most  assiduous  ten- 
derness. My  two  eldest  sisters  soon  married,  and  left 
our  home  with  their  husbands.  I  then  fell  almost  ex- 
clusively under  the  care  of  my  youngest  sister,  who 
threw  over  my  path  the  most  unmeasured  indulgence 
and  tenderness. 

I  have  no  remembrance  of  my  mother,  or  of  the 
marriage  of  my  two  eldest  sisters.  About  two  years 
after  the  death  of  my  mother,  my  father  married  a 
second  wife,  the  widow  of  the  Rev.  John  Keep,  the 
minister  of  Sheffield,  who  died  before  his  sun  had 
reached  its  meridian  height.  I  have  heard  Dr.  West 
remark  of  him,  that  he  was  the  most  popular  minister 
ever  settled  in  the  county  of  Berkshire. 

She  was  a  woman  of  the  most  respectable  connec- 
tions, was  intelligent  and  pious,  and  always  treated  me 


A  BLIND   MINISTER.  23 

with  kindness.  I  loved  her  while  she  lived,  and  since 
her  decease,  which  occurred  about  two  years  after  the 
death  of  my  father,  I  have  cherished  her  memory  with 
tenderness  and  respect. 

My  first  recollection  is  of  a  belligerent  character, 
and  it  has  always  been  vividly  before  me.  When  I 
was  about  three  years  old,  a  band  of  armed  men  who 
belonged  to  the  Shays'  rebellion  —  as  the  insurrection 
in  Massachusetts  was  called  —  entered  our  house  in 
the  night.  I  was  sleeping  with  my  father,  and  was 
suddenly  awakened  by  the  clash  of  arms.  The  first 
sight  I  can  remember,  was  a  band  of  armed  ruffians 
standing  over  our  bed.  "  The  dreadful  gleam  of 
their  armor  was  reflected  "  by  the  lights  which  burned 
upon  the  table.  Their  hemlock  boughs,  the  insignia 
of  rebellion,  nodded  over  us  from  their  hats,  and  they 
demanded  the  surrender  of  my  father.  I  uttered  a 
scream  of  terror,  and  my  father  shoving  aside  the  bay- 
onets, handed  me  through  the  armed  men  to  my  sister, 
to  be  carried  away  from  the  scene  of  outrage.  These 
wretches  pillaged  the  house  and  took  my  father  pris- 
oner. They  placed  him  under  the  care  of  military 
guards,  and  carried  him  away  in  the  course  of  the 
night  from  his  distressed  family. 

The  capture  of  my  father  was  a  very  desirable 
achievement  to  the  insurgents,  as  he  was  the  chief 
judge  of  the  court  of  the  county,  and  their  grand 
aim  was  to  stop  the  administration  of  law.  He  was 
also  a  member  of  the  Senate,  and  was  a  strenuous  and 
formidable  friend  of  law  and  order. 

They  carried  him  to  Great  Barrington,  which  was 
at  that  time  the  seat  of  justice  for  Berkshire. 

Immediately  after  the  capture  of  my  father,  a  strong 


24  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

company  of  volunteers  was  organized  in  Stockbridge, 
to  proceed  to  Great  Barrington  for  the  rescue  of  their 
townsman.  In  a  day  or  two  their  equipment  was  com- 
pleted, and  they  set  off  in  the  night  on  their  chival- 
rous expedition.  As  they  were  descending  Monument 
Mountain,  my  father  heard  the  beat  of  their  drums 
floating  down  the  declivities.  He  soon  met  them  and 
they  exchanged  their  congratulations.  My  father,  by 
his  moral  courage,  had  overawed  the  rebels,  and 
induced  them  to  let  him  depart.  He  left  for  home  on 
foot  and  alone,  in  the  night,  and  met  his  brave  towns- 
men hastening  to  his  deliverance. 

So  far  back  as  I  can  recollect,  I  have  loved  the 
scenes  of  nature.  Indeed  I  grew  up  in  the  open  air, 
and,  in  some  sense,  may  be  considered  a  child  of  nature. 
The  winds,  the  waters,  the  fields  and  woods,  had  a 
good  deal  to  do  with  my*  education.  Let  Charles 
Lamb,  surrounded  with  the  smoke  of  London,  deride 
rural  pleasures  as  he  will,  and  declare  them  vapid  and 
unmeaning,  I  shall  always  be  grateful  to  Providence 
that  I  was  brought  up  in  the  country.  I  love  the 
country  as  well  as  Walter  Scott,  who  had  a  blood-felt 
love  for  country  scenes;  and  I  consider  it  favorable  to 
simplicity  of  character  and  the  gladness  and  freshness 
of  future  life,  that  one's  youth  should  be  passed  in 
rural  scenery. 

Many  a  time  did  I  bend  my  boyish  steps  around  the 
base,  or  on  some  rugged  brow,  of  Laurel  Hill,  to  read 
my  juvenile  book  with  added  pleasure  from  the 
scenery  about  me.  This  eminence  was  just  back  of 
our  house,  and  has  since  been  rendered  classic  by  the 
pen  of  Miss  Sedgwick. 

I  had  a  great  passion  for  rural  sport,  as  well  as 


A   BLIND   MINISTER.  25 

scenery,  and  I  will  here  relate  an  incident  wliicli 
flushed  my  brow  with  gladness  at  the  time.  I  had 
perceived,  for  a  number  of  successive  days,  that  a 
flock  of  wild  ducks  alighted  and  sported  upon  a  briglit 
wave  of  the  Housatonic  just  at  night.  I  formed  a 
secret  piirpose  to  obtain  some  of  these  beautiful  birds, 
and  clandestinely  obtained  the  loan  of  a  gun ;  for  I 
had  not  yet  been  allowed  the  use  of  such  an  instru- 
ment, except  under  the  eye  of  my  friends.  Thus 
equipped,  I  stealthily  repaired  to  the  bend  of  the 
river,  where  the  ducks  alighted ;  and,  hiding  myself 
behind  the  sedges,  was  delighted  by  the  speedy 
appearance  of  these  wild  birds.  I  saw  them  with  a 
glad, but  anxious  eye,  sporting  and  nestling;  and,  when 
I  thought  the  golden  moment  had  come,  I  fired  off  m}' 
gun  and  killed  two.  Perceiving  that  I  had  done  exe- 
cution, I  plunged  into  the  river,  snatched  my  game, 
and  ran  breathless  to  my  family.  I  felt  that  to  be  a 
proud  moment  of  my  life,  and,  to  my  young  fancy, 
manly  honors  were  thickening  upon  my  brow.  I  felt 
as  proud  as  Alexander  when  he  had  subdued  the 
world.     This  was  my  first  achievement  in  rural  sports. 

The  manner  in  which  I  was  brought  up  to  keep  the 
Sabbath,  deserves  description ;  and  is  a  piece  of  his- 
tory, which,  I  suspect,  has  no  exemplification  in  the 
families  of  our  day. 

My  father  observed  the  Sabbath  with  Jewish  rigor, 
though  one  of  the  most  amiable  and  kind-hearted  men 
in  the  world.  He,  like  our  Puritan  ancestors,  who 
were  stalwart  theologians,  kept  Saturday  night.  His 
outdoor  affairs  were  all  wound  up  before  the  Satur- 
day's sun  had  sunk  behind  the  mountain.  Even  in  the 
height  and  pressure  of  ingathering — and  he  had  a  largo 


26  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

farm — all  his  calculations  through  the  week  converged 
to  a  close  before  Saturday's  sunset.  The  barns,  gates 
and  bars  were  all  closed,  the  cows  were  milked,  and 
every  animal  and  thing  was  in  its  place  before  the 
sun  disappeared.  The  family,  including  all  who 
belonged  to  the  house,  children  as  well  as  laboring 
people,  Avere  all  assembled  in  the  large  parlor,  to 
begin  the  appropriate  exercises  of  sacred  time.  The 
indoor  preparations  for  the  Sabbath  were  as  complete 
as  those  which  obtained  on  the  farm.  The  viands  and 
vegetables  were  all  dressed  on  Saturday  afternoon, 
and  the  busy  housewife  ceased  to  ply  the  oar  of  labor. 
No  broom  was  used  in  the  house  for  twenty-four 
hours,  except  to  sweep  the  hearth.  No  bed  was  ever 
made  till  the  Sunday  sun  had  gone  down,  so  "gra- 
cious and  hallowed  was  the  time.'' 

Well,  there  we  were  in  the  parlor,  and  the  broad 
disk  of  the  sun  was  just  sinking  behind  the  western 
hills.  My  father  was  as  a  patriarch  in  the  midst  of 
his  gathered  household.  He  first  read  a  long  sermon, 
and  then  several  chapters  in  the  Bible,  after  which  he 
offered  up  his  evening  prayer.  Prayer  being  over, 
we  were  permitted  to  retire  to  our  rooms,  furnished 
with  religious  books. 

The  next  morning,  after  worship  and  the  necessary 
affairs  were  accomplished,  we  all  prepared  for  the 
sanctuary.  My  father  went  regularly,  at  the  head  of 
his  tribe,  to  the  house  of  God.  No  one  was  allowed  to 
remain  at  home,  unless  illness,  or  some  other  serious 
providential  impediment,  prevented  his  going.  At 
intermission  we  returned  to  our  house  and  took  a 
lunch,  after  which  we  repaired  again  to  the  courts  of 
the  Lord. 


A   BLIND   MINISTER.  27 

When  the  afternoon  service  was  over  we  had  our 
dinner,  which  was  got  with  very  Httle  labor.  We  then 
recited  our  Catechism  to  my  lather,  and  received  his 
instructions,  which  were  imparted  with  great  kindness, 
and  often  affected  us  to  tears. 

The  system  of  Calvinism,  as  the  whole  world  knows, 
is  the  vital  clement  in  the  Westminster  Catechism. 
The  doctrines  of  that  system  seem  to  multitudes  stern 
and  repulsive;  but  the  manner  in  which  those  doc- 
trines are  regarded,  is  modified  in  some  degree  by  the 
method  of  their  exhibition  and  inculcation.  I  have 
heard  men  complain  of  the  iron  system  which  was 
taught  them  in  their  childhood.  If  the  doctrines 
referred  to  are  according  to  godliness,  it  is  a  neces- 
sary inference  that  they  must  be  steeped  in  the  love 
of  their  Author :  His  benevolence  must  shine  through 
them. 

The  doctrines  of  Calvinism  appear  very  differently 
in  different  modes  of  exhibition.  When  they  are 
exhibited  in  a  kind  and  gentle  spirit,  and  in  their 
inspired  attitudes  and  bearings,  they  seem  radiant 
with  love  ;  but  when  an  adversary,  or  a  man  of  a 
morose  spirit,  unfolds  them,  they  frown  upon  the 
listener  with  a  stern  aspect. 

The  system  of  doctrine  contained  in  the  Catechism 
presents  as  different  a  face  under  different  modes  of 
inculcation,  as  a  scene  in  nature  presents  when  viewed 
in  June,  rich  with  verdure  and  enamelled  with  flowers, 
and  observed  in  December,  when  it  is  horrid  with 
frost,  covered  with  snows,  and  swept  over  with  rude 
winds. 

After  Catechism,  another  sermon  and  the  Bible  were 
read  to  us,  and  the  family  altar  was  again  encircled. 


28  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

When  the  sun  was  fully  set,  the  outdoor  and  indoor 
affairs  of  the  establishment  were  resumed  with  wonted 
activity  and  energy.  I  think  the  observance  of  the 
Sabbath  was  pushed  too  far  in  my  father's  house ;  but 
I  have  never  regretted  that  I  was  brought  up  in  this 
way.  The  rigorous  observance  of  holy  time  to  which 
I  was  trained,  imparted  to  the  Sabbath  great  sacred- 
ness,  and  it  has  always  seemed  to  me  very  different 
from  any  other  day.  Whenever  this  hallowed  day 
returns,  it  brings  with  it  a  thousand  sweet  memories, 
which  impart  a  fascination  to  its  hours.  My  father 
scrupulously  obeyed  the  command  of  his  Master,  — 
"  Eemember  the  Sabbath  day  to  keep  it  holy ;  in  it 
thou  shalt  not  do  any  work,  thou,  nor  thy  son,  nor  thy 
daughter,  thy  man  servant,  nor  thy  maid  servant,  nor 
thy  cattle,  nor  the  stranger  that  is  within  thy  gates." 
Perhaps  I  may,  in  this  connection  as  well  as  in  any 
other,  give  a  short  sketch  of  our  pastor,  the  Eev.  Dr. 
West.  The  sketch,  to  be  just,  will  be  somewhat 
unique.  He  took  a  high  rank  among  the  metaphysical 
divines  who  distinguished  his  age.  He  was  learned 
in  the  peculiar  lore  of  his  profession.  He  kept  up  his 
knowledge  of  Latin  until  the  end  of  Hfe.  I  have  seen 
him  take  up  any  Latin  book  which  happened  to  be  at 
hand,  and  read  it  with  the  utmost  facility.  He  had 
also  considerable  skill  in  the  Greek.  His  mind  was 
rather  acute  than  comprehensive.  He  surveyed  a 
subject  in  some  of  its  relations  with  wonderful  clear- 
ness and  subtlety,  but  was  not  remarkable  for  com- 
prehending a  great  subject  in  all  its  bearings.  His 
clear  and  argumentative  method  of  preaching  had  a 
very  perceivable  influence  in  disciplining  the  intellect 
of  his   congregation ;  a^d  men  who  have  risen  to 


A   BLIND   MINISTER.  29 

eminence  in  the  learned  professions,  have  attributed 
their  power  of  attention  and  their  skill  in  reasoning 
to  the  preaching  of  Dr.  West,  on  which  they  attended 
during  their  preparatory  studies  in  Stockbridge.  He 
was  as  bland  as  a  lady  in  his  manners,  and  yet  had  a 
somewhat  military  bearing,  resulting  from  his  native 
energy  of  character,  and  early  familiarity  with  military 
life  in  Hoosic  Fort,  where  he  was  chaplain  for  one  or 
two  years,  after  entering  upon  his  sacred  office. 

He  was  a  frequent  and  familiar  visitor  at  our  house ; 
and  I  remember  well  taking  my  little  chair,  when  I  was 
a  boy,  and  drawing  as  near  him  as  I  could,  to  listen  to 
his  tender  and  moving  conversations  and  pious  bene- 
dictions. In  his  person  he  was  a  little  below  the 
middle  stature,  but,  from  his  dignified  bearing  and 
aspect,  he  appeared  of  the  full  middle  height.  His 
frame  was  slender,  but  he  had  a  dash  of  the  lion  in  his 
movements,  and  seemed  like  a  man  destined  by  nature 
to  be  a  military  commander. 

In  the  pulpit  he  displayed  a  variety  of  emotions: 
sometimes  he  would  pour  forth  strains  of  the  most 
melting  tenderness,  and  then  he  would  rise,  like  a 
messenger  of  vengeance,  into  a  strain  of  the  sublimely 
terrible. 

One  Monday  morning  I  met  in  the  street  the  At- 
torney-General of  the  State,  who  said  to  me :  "  Why, 
what  a  curious  pastor  you  have  here.  Yesterday  I 
heard  him  preach,  and  he  seemed  to  me  like  a  herald 
of  wrath.  This  morning  I  have  called  on  him,  and  he 
is  all  softness,  grace,  and  gentleness.  No  man  can  be 
more  charitable  in  his  private  judgments,  and  no  man 
more  dreadful  in  his  public  denunciations.  He  cer- 
tainly embodies  in  his  character  strange  contrasts." 
8* 


30  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

I  will  here  relate  a  conversation  whicli  the  distin- 
guished Dr.  Kirkland,  President  of  Harvard  University, 
had  with  me  in  reference  to  Dr.  West's  Theological 
School.  "  The  fall  after  I  graduated/'  said  he,  ''  my 
father  sent  me  to  Dr.  West's  house  to  study  theology. 
I  had  then,  and  have  now,  a  great  opinion  of  his 
acuteness  and  classical  attainments.  Yery  soon  after 
my  admission,  he  placed  in  my  hands  such  books  as 
Edwards'  powerful  work  on  Original  Sin,  and  Hopkins' 
treatise  on  Holiness ;  books  which,  if  I  could  have 
read  them  with  any  belief,  would  have  sent  rottenness 
into  my  bones.  They  were  written  with  such  strength 
and  power  that  they  made  me  melancholy,  and  I  used 
to  go  out  into  the  doctor's  orchard,  upon  that  beau- 
tiful sidehill;  then  I  would  pick  up  a  fervid  and 
blushing  apple,  and  look  at  it ;  then  I  would  pick  a 
flower,  and  look  at  its  beauty,  and  inhale  its  odor,  and 
would  say  to  myself, '  these  are  beautiful  types  of  the 
loveliness  of  God.  I  know  God  is  benevolent,  and  I 
will  return  to  my  studies  cheered  with  these  im- 
pressions.' Yet,"  continued  the  learned  president, 
^'  these  tremendous  doctrines  seemed  to  awaken  the 
deepest  emotions  of  piety  in  the  mind  of  Dr.  West, 
and  to  impart  light,  and  gladness,  and  thankfulness  to 
his  inmost  spirit." 

His  exactness  of  habit  and  method  was  carried  to  a 
greater  extreme  than  I  have  observed  in  any  other 
man.  When  about  to  commence  a  journey,  he  made 
all  his  calculations  in  advance  for  each  day.  His 
neighbors  often  remarked,  that  it  seemed  as  though 
the  elements  were  subject  to  him,  for  he  alwaj^s 
accomplished  what  he  undertook.  His  hat  and  whip 
were   taken  down  and   laid   on  the  table   the  night 


A    BLIND    MINISTER.  31 

i^efore  he  set  off;  and  Mrs.  West  knew,  to  a  moment, 
when  to  have  his  table  prepared  for  him  on  his  return, 
whether  he  had  gone  only  to  the  village,  or  to  visit 
his  friend.  Dr.  Hopkins,  at  Newport,  which,  at  that 
time,  was  a  long  journey.  His  movements  to  execute 
his  appointments  and  engagements,  took  rank  in  cer- 
tainty with  the  laws  of  nature. 

But  his  piety  was  the  predominant  feature  of  his 
character,  and  displayed  itself  in  all  the  forms  of 
Christian  excellence.  His  character  and  manners  were 
so  deeply  imbued  with  the  spirit  of  piety,  that  some 
of  his  congregation  practically  regarded  him  as  the 
tutelar  genius  of  the  place,  standing  in  the  gap  and 
keeping  ojff  the  judgments  of  God.  In  their  imagina- 
tions, they  invested  him  with  the  power  and  holiness 
of  an  apostle,  and  felt  somewhat  Hke  the  people  in 
Jerusalem,  when  they  looked  on  Peter,  after  he  had^ 
performed  a  stupendous  miracle,  in  reference  to  which, 
he  said,  "  Why  look  ye  on  us,  as  though  by  our  own 
power  or  holiness  we  had  made  this  man  to  walk  ?" 

Some  of  his  charge  even  used  his  name  as  a  charm. 
Miss  Kirkland,  a  sister  of  the  president,  who  after- 
wards married  the  celebrated  Professor  Robinson,  told 
me  in  the  presidential  mansion  at  Cambridge,  that  she 
grew  up  in  Stockbridge,  with  a  deep  awe  of  the  ho- 
liness of  Dr.  West,  and  often  used  his  name  as  a  talis- 
man. "  When  I  was  going  home,"  said  she,  "  from  the 
village,  at  twilight  or  in  the  evening,  as  I  passed  along 
the  solitary  road  leading  between  the  meadows  along 
the  Housatonic  to  my  father's  house,  I  used  to  say,  in 
order  to  assure  my  spirit,  ^  Mr.  West,  Mr.  West,'  with 
a  vague  impression  that  the  repetition  of  this  magical 
name  would  keep  off  all  evil  agencies.     And  when," 


32  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

continued  she,  ''  I  had  occasion  to  pass  from  one  part 
of  my  father's  house  to  another,  in  the  evening,  it  was 
my  custom  to  reiterate  the  name  of  '  Mr.  West.' " 

His  reputation  as  an  author  was  considerable.  He 
published  a  treatise  on  Moral  Agency,  which  made  a 
great  impression  in  his  day,  and  which  will  long  be 
preserved  in  the  libraries  of  the  curious,  as  one  of 
the  most  extraordinary  specimens  of  subtle  metaphy- 
sical reasoning.  His  celebrated  essay  on  the  Atone- 
ment is  less  metaphysical  and  more  popular  in  its 
texture.  This  work  has  passed  into  a  second  edition, 
and  enjoys  a  high  measure  of  favor  with  profound 
theologians.  The  distinguished  Dr.  Spring,  of  New- 
buryport,  father  to  Dr.  Spring,  of  New  York,  remarked 
to  me,  when  I  was  a  student  at  Andover,  that  Dr. 
West's  book  on  the  Atonement  was,  in  his  judgment, 
•the  best  treatise  on  that  subject  in  the  language. 

Dr.  West  had  a  long  ministry.  He  was  pastor  of 
our  church  upwards  of  sixty  years.  Such  an  exam- 
ple of  ecclesiastical  stability  amazes  us  in  these  days 
of  church  fickleness  and  pastoral  rotation. 

There  was  a  peculiarity  in  the  society  of  Stock- 
bridge,  and  it  was  not  strange  that  such  should  be 
the  fact.  The  villages  along  the  Housatonic  were,  for 
a  long  time,  very  much  isolated  from  the  rest  of  the 
world.  On  the  west  dwelt  the  race  of  the  Knicker- 
bockers, who  used  a  strange  and  barbarous  speech, 
which  repelled  much  social  intercourse.  On  the  east 
was  a  range  of  colossal  mountains,  which  made  inter- 
course with  the  valley  of  the  Connecticut,  slow  and 
unfrequent.  We  had  then  no  railroads  or  telegraphs, 
and  but  few  mails,  and  there  were  not  many  vehicles 
by  which  influences   could  be  transfused  from  one 


A   BLIND   MINISTER.  33 

placo  to  another.  In  such  circumstances,  it  is  not 
strange  that  local  causes  and  elements  should  have 
formed  the  character  of  the  people.  An  uncommonly 
able  succession  of  pastors,  whose  labors  were  not 
much  neutralized  by  other  influences,  had  a  decided 
agency  in  moulding  the  public  taste.  The  society  in 
which  I  grew  up  was  of  a  peculiar  stamp ;  the  pre- 
dominant reading  of  the  people  was  theology.  The 
most  profound  treatises  in  that  department  of  knowl- 
edge, were  precisely  adapted  to  the  taste  of  society. 
We  had  a  large  public  library,  and  the  kind  of  books 
most  in  demand  were  theological.  When  a  new  work 
on  church  history,  or  new  volumes  of  sermons, 
appeared,  it  was  often  necessary  to  procure  two  or 
three  sets  to  meet  the  eager  demand  for  this  kind  of 
reading. 

Learned  treatises  on  the  prophetic  writings  were 
favorite  topics  of  discussion  in  social  parties.  I  have 
seen  in  large  evening  parties  of  gentlemen  and  ladies, 
almost  the  whole  time  of  both  sexes  occupied  in  talk- 
ing over  Newton's  and  Faber's  learned  Essays  on  the 
Prophecies.  The  signs  of  the  times  were  critically 
scrutinized  and  compared  with  prophetic  intimations. 

This  was  indeed  a  singular  state  of  society,  and 
such  as  I  have  not  met  with  elsewhere. 

At  a  tender  age,  I  was  placed  at  the  district  school 
in  my  native  village,  and  this  school  establishment, 
standing  in  a  peculiar  place,  had  its  peculiar  character. 
It  was  a  remarkable  school  for  that  period,  and  would 
compare  favorably  with  the  boasted  model  schools  of 
the  present  time. 

The  eminent  men  of  the  town,  as  they  had  their 
own  children  to  educate  in  the  school,  bestowed  on  it 


34  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

their  active  attention.  It  was  the  custom  of  the  dis- 
trict, whenever  they  wanted  a  new  teacher,  to  write 
to  Dr.  Dwight,  President  of  Yale  College,  to  send 
them  one,  of  the  best  qualifications  he  could  select. 
The  doctor  had  great  tact  in  such  matters,  and  sent 
a  succession  of  superior  instructors,  who  were  most 
liberally  compensated.  The  school  was  large,  and 
assistant  teachers  were  employed,  and  all  went  on 
with  glow  and  splendor. 

We  had  a  committee,  embracing  some  of  the  ablest 
men  in  the  State,  who  were  residents  of  Stockbridge, 
to  visit  the  school  once  a  month,  and  draw  up  and 
post  up  conspicuously  in  sight  of  us  all,  a  report  of 
our  merits  and  demerits.  I  have  seen  on  this  commit- 
tee of  visitation,  our  venerable  pastor,  associated  with 
the  president,  pro  tern,  of  the  Senate  of  the  United 
States — Theodore  Sedgwick, — and  a  lawyer  who  was 
afterwards  Attorney-General  of  the  Commonwealth. 
These  monthly  visitations  had,  of  course,  a  most  stim- 
ulating effect  on  our  minds,  and  awakened  in  us  a  gen- 
erous ambition  to  excel. 

I  will  here  relate  a  casual  incident,  which  happened 
in  my  schoolboy  days,  and  gave  a  new  turn  to  my 
character.  Accidental  circumstances  sometimes  im- 
part an  influence  to  the  mind,  which  tells  deeply,  for 
weal  or  wo,  on  our  whole  succeeding  history.  We  are 
particularly  susceptible  to  these  influences  in  the  form- 
ing period  of  early  youth.  From  some  cause,  our 
school  was  suspended  one  day  in  the  month  of  June, 
when  I  was  about  eleven  years  old.  Two  of  my 
school  companions  and  myself  arranged  a  fishing 
excursion,  to  fill  up  and  brighten  the  vacant  day. 
Early  in  the  morning,  with  our  tackle,  we  set  off  for 


A  BLIND   MINISTER.  35 

the  distant  mountain-brook,  elate  with  expectation  of 
a  great  day  for  trout  in  that  famous  stream.  While 
we  were  walking  and  talking,  the  conversation  very 
naturally  turned  upon  our  school  and  school  com- 
panions. 

We  busied  ourselves  with  sketching  the  characters 
of  some  of  the  boys :  we  talked  over  our  sports,  and 
the  various  degrees  of  skill  in  plays  exhibited  by  dif- 
ferent boys.  I  was  of  a  slender  frame,  and  complained 
of  some  stout  ruffian  boys  who  ran  against  me,  and 
sometimes  ran  over  and  injured  me.  I  remarked  that 
I  could  not  mix  with  such  stout  and  rude  fellows  in 
the  excitement  of  games  at  ball.  ^^Well,"  said  one  of 
my  fishing  companions  to  me,  "  if  you  can't  play  as 
well  in  some  of  our  rough  games  as  some  of  the  boys, 
you  know  how  to  be  a  better  scholar  than  any  of  us." 
This  remark  electrified  and  astonished  me,  and  I  began 
to  reflect  on  my  scholastic  attainments  and  standing. 
I  interrogated  both  boys  as  to  the  meaning  of  this 
announcement,  and  they  both  insisted  that  I  could  not 
help  knowing  that  I  was  the  best  scholar  in  school. 
This  boyish  exaggeration  is  to  be  taken  of  course 
with  some  allowance.  They  referred  to  my  skill  in 
Latin,  my  accuracy  in  spelling,  and  the  clearness  with 
which  I  recited  geography. 

I  had  before  entertained  a  very  humble  idea  of  my- 
self, and  my  pretensions  were  very  moderate.  I  had 
no  expectation  of  reaching  any  distinction  or  of  accom- 
plishing much  in  life.  I  had  never  been  praised  at 
home.  My  family  had  the  Puritan  habit,  and  that 
was — with  all  the  virtues  of  that  race — a  habit  of 
censuring  children  when  they  did  ill,  and  seldom  or 
never  commending  them  when  they  did  well.     The 


36  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

misdeeds  of  the  boy  were  sure  to  be  animadverted 
upon ;  but  his  merits  were  passed  by  in  silence.  Our 
excellent  forefathers  were  excessively  afraid  of  awaken- 
ing in  the  bosoms  of  their  children  an  unhallowed 
vanity  and  a  sinful  self-confidence. 

But  that  was  a  great  fishing  day  for  me.  As  I  drew 
out  of  Mosquito  Brook  the  mountain  trout,  with  their 
bright  and  rich  spots,  I  meditated. upon  myself,  and 
formed  high  purposes  of  future  eminence.  Indeed, 
on  that  eventful  day  my  character  underwent  an  entire 
revolution.     I  said  to  the  boys,  as  we  were  returning, 

"  that  Steve  ,  who  has  run  over  me  so  many 

times  in  play,  I  will  make  cower  at  my  feet  at  some 
future  day."  I  did  not  know  that  I  was  uttering  a 
prophecy;  but  it  happened  to  receive  a  fulfilment. 
In  an  early  stage  of  my  ministry,  I  had  occasion  to 
preach  in  a  town  in  Connecticut,  and  passed  the  night 
at  the  house  of  an  eminent  man  of  that  place. 

While  we  were  conversing  in  the  parlor,  in  the 
evening,  the  gentleman  of  the  house  came  in  and  said, 
there  was  a  man  in  the  kitchen  who  wanted  very  much 
to  see  me,  if  I  would  have  the  kindness  to  walk  out 
for  a  minute.     I  inquired  who  it  was,  and  found  it  was 

this  very  Steve ,  who  had  abused  me  in  my 

boyhood.  He  was  a  poor  cobbler,  had  heard  of  my 
position  as  a  preacher,  and  wanted  to  pay  me  his  re- 
spects. When  I  met  him,  he  remembered  me  well,  and 
approached  in  a  cowering  and  deferential  manner. 

The  day  after  the  fishing  excursion,  I  went  to  school 
and  assumed  an  entirely  difierent  bearing.  I  had  a 
feeling  of  self-reliance  and  confidence  which  I  had 
never  experienced  before,  and  the  great  boys  ceased 
to  molest  me  with  their  rudeness.     My  prospects  in 


A  BLIND  MINISTER.  37 

life  seemed  to  change,  and  brilliant  images  shot  up 
before  me  in  my  path. 

When  I  was  a  boy,  I  had  some  familiarity  with 
Indian  life.  The  ancient  nation  of  Indians,  who  had 
long  inhabited  the  valleys  of  Stockbridge,  had  emi- 
grated to  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  before  my  birth  ;  but 
they  continued  to  cherish  an  affection  for  the  land  of 
their  ancestors.  Bands  of  thirty  or  forty  Indians,  men 
and  women,  were  accustomed  to  come  down  to  Stock- 
bridge  and  spend  the  winter.  They  loved  to  rekindle 
the  fire  upon  the  old  hearthstones,  and  linger  about 
the  ancient  cemetery.  They  constructed  wigwams  on 
the  slopes  of  the  mountains,  and  occupied  themselves 
in  making  baskets  and  brooms  for  a  subsistence,  as 
their  hunting-grounds  were  spoiled  by  the  axe  of  the 
woodman.  They  strolled  about  every  day,  more  or 
less,  in  their  wild  Indian  costume  (which  excited  and 
impressed  my  boyish  fancy),  to  peddle  their  fabrics 
among  the  families  of  the  town.  They  were  treated 
with  great  kindness  and  generosity  by  the  people,  as 
they  always  had  been  from  the  earliest  coming-in  of 
the  white  settlers. 

The  history  of  the  Indians  of  Stockbridge,  after  the 
visitation  of  Woodbridge  and  Sargeant, — the  pioneers 
of  civilization  and  Christianity  in  that  place, — is  an 
edifying  example  of  the  effect  of  Christian  kindness 
upon  a  barbaric  tribe. 

Early  in  the  eighteenth  century,  Timothy  Wood- 
bridge,  a  man  of  genius  and  eloquence,  according  to 
the  testimony  of  President  Edwards,  who  had  been 
educated  at  Yale  College,  came  with  a  commission 
from  the  government  of  Massachusetts,  to  introduce 
law  and  letters  among  the  Stockbridge  Indians.     Ho 

4 


38  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

was  associated  with  Rev.  John  Sargeant,  a  gifted  and 
pious  missionary,  who  went  hand  in  hand  with  Mr. 
Woodbridge,  to  introduce  Christianity  as  well  as  let- 
ters. 

On  arriving  at  Barrington  they  sent  runners  to  the 
Indians,  with  the  request  that  the  red  men  would  meet 
them  under  the  brow  of  Monument  Mountain,  on  the 
ensuing  Sabbath,  and  have  a  talk.  The  Indians  issued 
from  the  woods  in  great  numbers,  and  met  their  new 
and  imposing  visitors.  These  messengers  of  civiliza- 
tion, whose  fame  has  been  every  day  since  increasing, 
opened  respectively  their  objects.  The  Indians  heard 
them  attentively,  through  an  interpreter ;  and,  after 
retiring  awhile  to  hold  a  council,  signified  to  their 
visitors  that  they  were  pleased  with  their  talk,  and 
wished  them  to  come  and  live  in  the  midst  of  them. 

This  was  the  beginning  of  civiKzation  in  that  dis- 
tinguished locality.  Many  of  these  Indians  afterwards 
became  exemplary  professors  of  religion,  and  addicted 
themselves  to  agriculture,  and  some  of  them  were 
even  literary.  It  is  afi'ecting  to  contemplate  the 
disappearance  of  the  noble  race  of  red  men,  before 
the  onward  tide  of  civilization  and  power.  God  is 
undoubtedly  solving  some  great  problem  in  this  strange 
piece  of  human  history.  There  is  at  the  west  end  of 
the  village  an  old  Indian  burial  ground,  in  a  warm  and 
sandy  soil.  The  neglected  graves  of  the  aboriginal 
inhabitants  of  Stockbridge  were  then  intermingled 
with  stone  hatchets  and  arrow-heads,  which  the  visit- 
ing Indians  picked  up  with  the  eagerness  of  antiqua- 
rians. 

In  my  twelfth  year,  my  father  died.  This  was  a 
great  calamity,  in  fact,  and  in  my  appreciation  of  it  at 


A  BLIND  MINISTER.  39 

the  time.  For  some  weeks  before  the  event,  I  had 
painful  and  awful  forebodings  of  the  coming  bereave- 
ment. Every  apprehension  of  the  approaching  death 
of  my  father  penetrated  my  heart  with  the  deepest 
distress.  A  month  or  two  before  he  died,  he  took  my 
hand  and  walked  with  me  under  the  beautiful  shades 
which  encircle  the  base  of  Laurel  Hill.  As  we  were 
returning,  while  the  glorious  sun  was  setting,  he  said 
to  me,  "  This  is  beautiful  scenery,  my  son ;  but  I  shall 
soon,  very  soon,  leave  it,  and  you  will  walk  here  alone." 
This  remark  made  me  weep  exceedingly,  which,  being 
perceived,  my  father  instantly  turned  the  conversation 
to  other  subjects. 

He  was  tall  and  erect,  and  his  face  was  illuminated 
with  intelligence  and  benevolence.  His  image  is 
plainly  before  me  while  I  am  writing  this  humble 
tribute.  The  radiance  of  kindness  which  continually 
lit  up  his  countenance  was  a  natural  expression  of  his 
deep  and  steady  benevolence. 


CHAPTER  III. 

MY  SCHOLASTIC   EDUCATION. 

Character  of  my  Brother,  and  his  relation  to  me.  —  Went  to  Classical 
School  at  Norfolk.  —  Character  of  Kev,  Mr.  Robbins,  my  Teacher.  — 
Visit  to  my  Uncle,  Dr.  Edwards.  —  Entered  College.  —  Letters  from 
College. 

After  the  death  of  my  father,  the  care  of  my 
person  and  education  devolved  upon  my  brother, 
Joseph  Woodbridge,  who  succeeded  to  the  family 
mansion,  so  that  my  home  was  not  changed.  This 
was  a  great  comfort  to  me.  There  was  Laurel  Hill, 
the  river's  bank,  and  the  mountain  —  the  whole  assem- 
blage of  objects  which  had  been  familiar  and  dear  to 
me  from  the  first  opening  of  my  eyes. 

My  brother  was  a  lawyer  by  profession.  He  had 
been  educated  at  Dartmouth  College,  had  recently 
completed  his  legal  studies  in  the  office  of  Theodore 
Sedgwick,  and  had  just  entered  upon  the  practice  of 
law  under  the  most  favorable  auspices.  He  loved  me, 
and  was  kind  and  generous ;  indeed,  I  was  as  much  at 
home  as  any  son  could  be  with  his  father.  He  was 
literary  in  his  habits,  and  was  one  of  the  greatest 
readers  I  have  known ;  had  a  good  library,  and  was 
continually  purchasing  new  and  interesting  books. 
He  was  very  communicative,  and  was  fond  of  talking 
upon  liberal  and  important  subjects.  My  situation 
was  decidedly  favorable  for  mental  improvement. 

My  brother,  though  not  a  professor  of  religion,  and 

(40) 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   A   BLIND    MINISTER.  41 

Bomewhat  convivial  in  his  tastes,  had  a  great  vene- 
ration for  the  forefathers,  and  their  religious  institu- 
tions, and  made  but  little  relaxation  in  our  mode  of 
keeping  the  Sabbath.  Its  sacred  hours  were  still 
observed  at  our  house  with  great  decorum  and  seri- 
-ousness.  My  brother  afterwards  became  a  decidedly 
pious  man,  and  had  a  great  influence  in  the  religious 
concerns  of  Berkshire.  He  was  a  man  of  high  intel- 
lectual power,  was  ardent  and  impetuous  in  his 
temperament,  but  had  a  supreme  self-control.  He 
sustained  to  me  the  double  relation  of  father  and 
brother,  and  sustained  these  relations  most  honorably. 
His  memory  I  shall  always  cherish  with  most  grateful 
remembrance.  He  stimulated  me  to  study,  and  tried 
to  fill  me  with  aspirations  of  future  eminence. 

In  my  fourteenth  year,  I  was  placed  in  the  classical 
school  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Robbins,  pastor  of  the  church 
and  congregation  in  Norfolk,  Conn.  My  new  teacher 
was  a  hale,  fine,  spirited  old  man ;  was  full  of  vivacity, 
and  had  the  pliancy  and  facility  of  manner  which  wo 
often  observe  in  Frenchmen.  He  had  been  the  pastor 
of  his  church  from  its  organization.  His  congregation 
had  been  so  intensely  engrossed  for  many  years  in 
felling  the  forests  and  exterminating  the  wild  beasts, 
that  they  had  found  but  little  time  for  intellectual 
culture ;  and  it  is  probable  that  their  pastor  was 
tolerably  satisfied  with  the  demands  of  the  community 
in  the  matter  of  intellectual  improvement. 

He  was  a  man  of  genius,  and  had  the  natural 
qualities  of  an  orator.  My  teacher  was  greatly  re- 
spected by  his  congregation,  and  was  in  that  region  a 
sort  of  oracle.  He  had  a  loud  voice,  great  fluency, 
and  preached  almost  extemporaneously.  He  carried 
4* 


42  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

with  him  into  the  pulpit  a  brief  manuscript  outline  of 
his  sermon ;  and,  if  the  next  idea  in  the  method  of  his 
discourse  did  not  occur  to  him  in  the  proper  order,  he 
seized  upon  some  collateral  thought  or  illustration, 
and  glowed  upon  it  to  the  surprise  and  delight  of  his 
audience.  But,  whether  erudite  or  not,  he  kept  up  his. 
famiharity  with  Greek  and  Latin,  and  was  a  good 
classical  scholar.  His  school  had  great  reputation  as 
a  theatre  for  training  boys  for  college.  I  was  the 
hundred  and  thirteenth  boy  whom  he  had  fitted  and 
entered  at  some  collegiate  institution. 

When  I  joined  his  school,  I  had  a  great  desire  to  go 
to  Yale,  because  Dr.  Dwight,  my  cousin,  was  presi- 
dent. But  Mr.  Robbins,  though  educated  at  Yale, 
was  one  of  the  trustees  of  Williams,  and  was  enthu- 
siastic in  his  preference  for  this  latter  institution.  He 
employed  all  his  persuasions  to  induce  me  to  go  to 
Williams.  This  influence,  joined  to  the  fact  that 
Williams  was  near  my  home,  determined  me  to  fix  on 
the  Berkshire  College. 

Mr.  Robbins  was  an  animated  and  pleasing  teacher. 
Immediately  after  morning  prayers,  he  went  up  into 
our  school-room  with  his  pipe,  and  spent  an  hour  with 
us  in  hearing  our  recitations  of  the  evening  lessons, 
and  in  imparting  to  us  his  earnest  instructions.  He 
entered  into  the  business  con  amore.  When  he  left 
us  in  the  morning,  we  were  in  a  fine  glow  for  stud}^; 
and,  at  eleven  o'clock,  he  returned  to  examine  the 
results  of  our  forenoon's  work,  and  was  faithful, 
cheerful,  and  amiable.  He  was,  "  take  him  for  all  in 
aiy  a  delightful  man.  His  piety  was  free,  joyous, 
practical,  and  generous.  He  cultivated  in  me  an 
earnest  desire  for  literary  excellence. 


A   BLIND   MINISTER.  43 

He  had  no  touch  of  the  Puritan  habit  of  never 
praising  a  boy  when  he  did  well,  but  commended  me 
warmly,  and  I  Avas  grateful  for  it.  It  fell  upon  my 
heart  like  the  dew  of  Hermon,  and  I  never  abused  his 
kindness,  but  studied  the  harder  for  it. 

When  I  had  been  a  few  weeks  at  his  house,  he  took 
me  in  his  sleigh  to  visit  my  uncle.  Rev.  Dr.  Jonathan 
Edwards,  who  had  recently  removed  his  pastoral  re- 
lation from  New  Haven  to  Colebrook.  This  was  a 
good  visit  for  me.  My  uncle  had  a  noble  library,  and 
I  saw  there  for  the  first  time  an  original  picture  of  my 
grandfather.  President  Edwards,  which  greatly  affected 
me.  In  my  uncle's  library,  I  saw  many  colossal  vol- 
umes of  theology  in  English  and  Latin.  These  books 
made  an  imposing  appearance  to  my  youthful  fancy, 
and  gave  me  a  higher  idea  than  ever  of  the  glory  of 
being  a  learned  man.  Dr.  Edwards  took  down  the 
principal  books,  and  explained  to  me  their  scope,  and 
endeavored  to  impress  upon  me  the  vast  importance 
of  studying  diligently.  He  appealed  to  the  memory 
of  my  father;  and  said  to  me,  "  Your  father  toiled  dili- 
gently to  gather  the  means  of  your  education ;  don't 
insult  his  memory  by  wasting  these  means  upon  idle- 
ness. You  may  have  some  play  for  health  and  recre- 
ation, but  don't  let  one  hour  drop  idle  to  the  ground." 
This  visit  increased  my  reverence  for  learning,  and  I 
returned  to  my  school  with  renewed  resolutions  of 
application. 

In  a  few  months  after  this,  my  uncle  was  called 
from  the  quiet  shades  of  Colebrook,  to  the  presidency 
of  Union  College.  He,  like  his  father,  was  an  author, 
and  his  works  stand  up  manfully  on  the  shelf  of  the 
theological  library  by  the  side  of  those  of  his   illus- 


44  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

trious  sire.  In  the  writings  of  the  son,  we  do  not 
perceive  the  broad  humanity,  the  compass  of  mind, 
and  the  fearful  and  searching  earnestness,  which  are 
conspicuous  attributes  in  the  works  of  the  father ;  but 
the  path  of  the  younger  Edwards,  if  it  is  narrow,  is 
clear  and  direct  as  a  ray  of  light. 

In  September,  1799, 1  attended  the  commencement 
of  Williams,  College,  was  examined  and  received  with 
some  reputation  as  a  member  of  the  institution. 

When  I  entered  the  basin  of  Williamstown,  flanked 
with  everlasting  mountains,  and  adorned  in  its  centre 
with  college  edifices,  I  was  greatly  excited,  and  my 
reverence  for  learning  was  heightened  to  its  utmost 
intensity.  I  felt  some  trepidation  at  appearing  before 
the  faculty  for  examination ;  but  when,  at  the  close,  I 
received  a  cordial  welcome,  a  load  of  anxiety  passed 
off  from  my  mind,  and  I  considered  that  I  had  now 
taken  a  definite  standing  in  the  paths  of  literary 
improvement.  I  began,  in  my  fancy,  to  catch  some 
glimpses  of  future  glory.  But  such  visions  often  de- 
ceive the  poor  victim  who  indulges  them,  and  he 
supinely  quiets  himself  with  the  distant  prospect,  and 
shrinks  from  climbing  the  rugged  eminences  which 
lead  to  the  summit  where  those  visions  reside. 

I  was  a  boy  of  fifteen,  with  a  slender  frame  and  pale 
visage,  and  I  entered  upon  a  perilous  adventure.  I 
was  too  young  to  plunge  into  college  and  encounter 
its  dangers,  particularly  at  such  a  period,  when  the 
maddening  influence  of  the  French  Eevolution  was 
acting  with  mischievous  effect  on  the  minds  of 
young  men.  When  I  entered  upon  my  collegiate 
career,  the  state  of  morals  was  decidedly  low  in  col- 
lege, and  very  different  from  the  fine  moral  discipline 


A  BLIND   MINISTER.  45 

which  obtains  in  that  institution  at  the  present  time. 
My  situation,  and  views  of  things,  will  be  perceived 
by  a  letter  to  my  brother,  which  follows. 

[This  is  the  oldest  letter  of  my  composition  I  have 
been  able  to  find.  My  nephew,  Mr.  Lester,  has  re- 
cently placed  in  my  hands  fifty-four  of  my  own  letters, 
which  he,  with  great  kindness  and  diligence,  found 
among  the  papers  of  difierent  members  of  my  family, 
and  of  other  friends,  who  have  deceased.  These  let- 
ters I  shall  use  freely  in  drawing  this  sketch.  Some 
of  them  I  shall  copy  entirely,  and  others  will  assist 
me,  by  the  facts  which  they  contain,  in  the  prepara- 
tion of  the  narrative.] 

Williams  College,  December  2d,  1799. 

My  very  Dear  Brother,  —  I  love  to  write  you  from  the  halls 
of  this  literary  institution  ;  but  there  is  a  little  more  in  the  sound 
than  in  the  reality.  I  am  disappointed  in  my  progress.  I  do  not 
learn  half  as  fast  as  I  did  at  Mr.  Robbins'.  He  fired  us  up  every 
day  with  literary  ambition  ;  but  here  we  have  not  work  enough  to 
do.  The  lessons  are  too  short.  I  often  come  from  morning  recita- 
tion into  my  room,  sling  my  great  coat  over  me,  and  get  my  fore- 
noon lesson  before  breakfast,  so  that  I  have  nothing  to  do  before 
recitation,  except  what  I  please.  Sometimes  I  take  up  a  Latin  book 
that  is  out  of  our  course,  and  study  awhile ;  sometimes  I  read  a  book 
of  travels,  and  sometimes  a  novel — though  I  have  not,  as  you  know, 
a  passion  for  that  kind  of  reading. 

It  is  rather  dangerous,  I  think,  for  a  boy  of  fifteen  to  have  a 
whole  forenoon  left  to  his  own  fancy.  I  begin  to  wish  I  had  gone 
to  Yale,  or  Schenectady,  under  the  care  of  Uncle  Edwards  ;  but  I 
shall  soon  come  home,  and  we  will  talk  these  things  over. 

I  have  a  thousand  sweet  memories  of  home,  and  my  thoughts 
and  anxieties  incline  me  towards  Stockbridge  so  strongly,  that  I 
think  you  may  expect  me  home  in  the  course  of  the  first  night  of 
vacation. 

Pray  write  me  immediately,  and  send  me  some  money  ;  for  every 


46  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF   A  BLIND   MINISTER/ 

boy  away  from  home  has  occasions  for  money,  which  he  don't 
think  of  when  he  is  there ;  and  he  wants  money,  especially  to  get 
back  to  the  homestead.  Remember  me  most  affectionately  to  dear 
sister  Sarah,  and  recollect  that  I  am  always 

Your  affectionate  brother, 

T.    WOODBRIDGE. 

My  college  life  continued  to  flow  on  in  an  even 
tenor,  and  will  be  farther  depicted  in  the  following 
letter : 

Williams  College,  February  10th,  1800. 

My  Dearest  Brother, — You  wished  me  to  write  you  often,  and 
very  minutely,  about  the  college.  Things  go  on  very  much  as  dur- 
ing the  last  term,  but  I  think  they  have  deteriorated  a  little.  I 
observe  in  many  of  the  rooms  a  good  deal  of  card-playing  and 
smoking,  but  these  vices  do  not  affect  me.  I  never  play  cards,  or 
touch  a  cigar  or  pipe.  You  are  very  anxious,  I  know,  for  my  well- 
being  and  well-doing  ;  but  you  need,  I  think,  have  no  concern  for 
my  morals.  The  condition  of  things  on  the  whole,  is  very  respect- 
able. Dr.  Fitch,  our  president,  is  an  amiable  and  excellent  man. 
We  think  he  is  a  great  scholar  ;  but,  whether  we  shall  think  so, 
when  we  get  more  acquainted  with  the  learned  world,  I  do  not 
know.  I  try  to  escape  from  local  influences,  and  judge  of  things  by 
a  standard  raised  from  a  broad  and  general  survey.  Our  tutors  are 
sensible  men,  good  scholars,  and  affectionate  to  me.  I  want  you, 
dear  brother,  to  write  me  your  advice  upon  everything  connected 
with  my  situation  here.  Yoa  are  an  old  stager  ;  have  been  through 
college,  and  a  great  many  strange  scenes  in  this  wild  world,  and 
can  help  to  guide  me  in  the  best  track. 

I  think  tenderly  of  home,  and  wish  I  could  give  downy  wings  to 
the  hours  which  are  to  fly  over  me  before  I  can  come  to  you.  Re- 
member me  most  affectionately  to  dear  sister. 

Sincerely  your  brother, 

T.    WOODBRIDGE. 


CHAPTER    lY. 

MY  SCHOLASTIC  EDUCATION. 

Loss  of  Sight.  —  Feeling  in  view  of  this  Event.  — Entered  upon  the  Study 
of  Law.  —  Course  of  my  Reading.  — Notices  of  the  best  Books,  par- 
ticularly such  as  were  most  useful  to  me.  —  Tribute  to  H.  D.  Sedg- 
wick. 

In  the  course  of  my  second  year  in  college,  I  was 
visited  with  the  incipient  stage  of  a  physical  affection, 
which  ultimately  changed  my  whole  succeeding  his- 
tory. My  eyes  became  inflamed,  so  that  I  was  obliged 
to  go  home  and  suspend  for  a  while  my  studies.  Per- 
haps I  had  studied  too  hard,  though  hard  study  has 
to  bear  a  great  many  burdens  which  do  not  belong  to 
it.  I  hesitated  about  assigning  so  dignified  a  cause 
for  the  inflammation  of  my  eyes ;  but  I  know  I  had 
studied  with  some  intensity,  for  a  number  of  succes- 
sive evenings,  Greek  books,  printed  in  a  fine  and  bad 
character.  Be  the  cause  what  it  may,  my  eyes  became 
inflamed  and  weak ;  and,  while  they  were  in  this  deli- 
cate and  susceptible  situation,  I  contracted  a  severe 
cold,  which  settled  in  the  external  integuments  of  my 
head,  and  deepened  the  inflammation  in  my  right  eye. 
The  best  medical  and  optical  skill  was  baffled  in  efforts 
to  relieve  me ;  but  the  inflammation  was  inveterate ; 
and,  after  a  few  months  of  suffering,  the  sight  of  that 
eye  began  to  fade,  till  at  length  the  obscuration  was 
complete. 

My  left  eye  was  perfect,  and  was  strengtlieued  even 

.'47) 


48  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

to  an  unexampled  degree  of  keenness  and  power.,  I 
could  see  with  my  left  eye  better  than  any  man  I 
met.  I  could  read  fine  print  across  a  large  room,  and 
could  decipher  a  guide-board  perfectly  well  three- 
quarters  of  a  mile  distant. 

I  returned  to  my  studies  with  great  assiduity,  but 
felt  some  solicitude  about  trespassing  upon  an  eye 
which  was  so  perfect  in  its  vision  and  so  susceptible 
in  its  condition.  At  length,  however,  before  my  col- 
lege period  was  finished,  my  left  eye  became  inflamed, 
and  I  began  to  sufier  the  penalty  of  carelessness. 

It  may  be  some  excuse  for  my  recklessness  to  state, 
that  I  reflected  that  my  eyes  had  been  naturally  very 
strong  and  good,  and  that  no  one  in  my  family  had 
any  tenderness  in  that  organ.  I  had  no  relation  who 
had  any  disease  of  the  eye ;  and,  in  the  confidence  of 
youth,  I  thought  my  eyes  would  carry  me  well  enough 
through.  But  shadows  at  last  began  to  come  over  my 
perfect  eye ;  my  sight  gradually  faded ;  yet  I  was 
not  appalled  or  subdued.  I  had  a  philosophic  and 
buoyant  temper,  and  new  images  of  glory  began  to 
shoot  up  before  me  in  different  directions. 

In  these  events,  which  undoubtedly  seemed  painful 
to  others,  I  recognized  the  agency  of  a  gracious  and 
all-wise  Providence :  an  unseen  hand,  I  believed,  was 
around^me,  and  would  sustain  me.  I  had  always  been 
instructed  in  the  doctrine  of  a  particular  Providence, 
and  the  doctrine  was  with  me  a  practical  principle.  I 
believed  and  felt  that,  though  God's  empire  was  un- 
limited and  magnificent,  his  tenderness  was  so  assidu- 
ous that  he  would  "  uphold  them  that  were  fallen,  and 
lift  up  those  that  were  bowed  down." 

I  had  a  great  deal  of  this  natural  religion,  and  it 


A  BLIND  MINISTER.  49 

lighted  up  my  path.  My  sight  was  now  gone,  and  I 
employed  myself,  with  intense  energy,  in  accommodat- 
ing my  modes  of  action  to  the  new  circumstances 
which  had  supervened.  I  never  permitted  a  feeling 
of  despair  to  enter  my  mind  in  regard  to  my  future 
usefulness,  reputation,  happiness,  and  prosperity.  A 
great  many  paths  of  honorable  business  were,  in  my 
judgment,  within  my  reach.  My  friends  commiserated 
me,  and  thought  me  crushed,  and  said,  "  Othello's  oc- 
cupation 's  gone."  They  spoke  of  the  casualty  that 
had  befallen  me  as  a  great  misfortune  ;  but  I  was  not 
certain  that  it  was  a  misfortune  at  all.  I  cherished 
the  hope  that  it  would  work  for  my  good,  and  that 
this  event,  which  some  people  viewed  as  a  judgment, 
would  prove  to  be  a  golden  link  in  the  chain  of  God's 
providences  in  regard  to  me. 

I  heard  a  portion  of  the  common-place  commisera- 
tion which  was  poured  forth  upon  me  with  philo- 
sophic indifference,  and  some  of  it  I  could  not  help 
regarding  with  contempt ;  and  I  despised  those  who 
offered  it,  more  than  I  lamented  myself.*  It  was, 
doubtless,  well  meant,  but  was  certainly  misplaced ;  for 
my  indomitable  resolution  never  flagged,  and  I  never 
faltered  in  my  efforts  to  reach  eminence  and  useful- 
ness.    I  appeared,  doubtless,  to  spectators  who  sur- 

*  A  clerical  friend,  reading  this  portion  of  my  sketch,  seemed  shocked 
at  this  sentiment  ;  and  thought  I  must  be  writing  more  from  present 
impulse  than  the  report  of  memory.  But  he  was  mistaken.  I  neither 
wandered  from  memory  or  the  record  ;  for  I  find,  on  looking  over  let- 
ters to  my  sister,  written  at  this  critical  period  of  my  life,  precisely  this 
expression,  and  it  was  an  honest  statement  of  my  feelings.  The  senti- 
ment may  not  be  very  amiable,  but  it  is  a  fact  that  I  felt  it ;  and  I  am 
chiefly  concerned  to  portray  honestly  the  workings  of  my  inner  life,  at 
this  eventful  crisis  of  my  history. 
5 


50  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

rounded  me, to  be  involved  in  a  cloud;  but  this  cloud 
to  my  perception,  was  lined  all  over  with  rays  of 
brightness. 

Many  men  have  some  intellectual  faculty,  or  some 
moral  power,  of  which  they  are  not  conscious  till  the 
occasion  developes  it,  or  the  proper  collision  strikes 
out  the  spark.  I  had  an  unsuspected  facility  at  resist- 
ing calamity  and  surmounting  or  overcoming  difficulty, 
which  was  now  furnished  with  full  scope  for  its  ex- 
ercise. 

I  projected  and  considered  successively  a  number 
of  plans  of  business.  I  first  thought  of  repairing  to 
Albany,  and  setting  up  a  book-store,  and  instituting  a 
literary  periodical ;  but  this  project  I  abandoned,  as 
being  somewhat  precarious ;  and  I  ultimately,  after 
great  deliberation,  determined  to  enter  upon  the  study 
of  law.  I  had  spent  the  most  of  my  time  in  law 
offices ;  indeed,  I  was  brought  up  in  one,  and  several 
of  my  relations,  and  most  of  my  particular  friends, 
were  engaged  in  the  legal  profession.  The  atmos- 
phere of  the  law  I  had  inhaled  from  my  childhood,  so 
that  legal  discussions  and  the  details  of  practice  were 
very  familiar  to  me. 

After  deciding  upon  the  study  of  law,  I  arranged  my 
course  of  reading,  and  contrived  methods  of  practice 
adapted  to  my  particular  situation.  I  consulted  tal- 
ented lawyers  on  all  these  matters,  and  read  every 
book  I  could  find  which  treated  of  the  study  of  law, 
that  I  might  abridge  my  labors,  and  take  the  shortest 
way  through  the  tangled  labyrinth  of  the  science. 

I  had  great  facilities  for  reading.  My  brother's 
clerks,  and  young  gentlemen  of  the  other  offices,  all 
tendered  me,  most  earnestly  and  delicately,  their  time 


A  BLIND   MINISTER.  51 

and  services,  to  any  extent,  in  reading  and  writing. 
With  such  facihties  at  my  bidding,  I  formed  large 
plans  of  study,  as  preparatory  and  auxiliary  to  legal 
pursuits.  I  travelled  over  a  wide  range  of  history, 
ancient  and  modern.  I  read  history  minutely  and 
carefully.  1  went  over,  also,  the  range  of  English 
classics,  beginning,  with  great  delight,  among  the 
books  of  the  Elizabethan  age,  which  was  the  adoles- 
cence of  English  literature. 

The  human  mind  in  England  presented,  at  that 
period,  the  exuberance  of  a  virgin  soil.  Various 
influences  had  combined  to  give  to  the  minds  of  men  a 
peculiar  activity.  The  nation  had  just  escaped  from 
the  thraldom  of  popery,  and  was  no  longer  afraid 
of  the  giant  pope  at  Rome.  Men  began  to  specu- 
late freely  on  theological  subjects,  and  the  religious 
emancipation  they  experienced  gave  them  courage 
to  direct  their  inquiries  to  other  matters.  Philosophy 
had  now  left  the  cloister,  and  poetry  was  no  longer 
confined  to  the  court,  but  was  to  be  found  in  the  mar- 
ket-place, in  the  streets,  and  among  the  people  at  large. 

There  was  an  elevation  and  grandeur  given  to  the 
people,  which  was  an  interesting  and  stirring  spec- 
tacle. The  human  mind,  from  a  variety  of  causes, 
received  a  prodigious  expansion.  The  sailors  of  Eug- 
Fand  were  now  beginning  to  throw  the  girdle  of  cir- 
cumnavigation around  the  globe ;  and,  from  the  imper- 
fect state  of  information,  the  most  wonderful  ideas 
were  entertained  in  regard  to  the  unexplored  parts  of 
the  earth.  Magnificent  visions  of  wealth  and  glory 
were  located  in  distant  regions,  which  had  only  been 
glanced  at  by  the  adventurous  traveller. 

All    these    influences    stirred    the    minds   of   men 


52  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

strangely,  and  unwonted  intellectual  efforts  were 
made  in  various  departments  of  learning. 

I  will  here  give  an  account,  for  the  benefit  of  my 
juvenile  readers,  of  some  of  the  books  which  I  found 
in  the  result  most  profitable,  and  which  exerted  the 
greatest  influence  upon  my  mental  development.  It 
would  be  easy  to  give  a  long  list  of  historical  books 
which  constitute  a  full  course  of  reading  in  that 
department  of  knowledge ;  but  such  a  list,  by  its  for- 
midable extent,  would  rather  discourage  than  guide 
the  juvenile  reader. 

When  the  young  student  of  history  looks  at  the 
array  of  books  before  him,  he  is  apt  to  think  that  the 
acquisition  of  this  department  of  knowledge  is  a  great 
task ;  but  a  respectable  knowledge  of  history  can  be 
gained  by  a  moderate  portion  of  labor,  and  labor  of 
a  very  pleasing  kind.  A  little  diligence  will  soon 
carry  a  reader  over  all  the  most  important  fields  of 
history.  Notwithstanding  it  is  the  fashion  for  pedants 
to  speak  of  our  language  as  being  rather  poor  in  his- 
tory, I  consider  that  no  small  part  of  the  riches  of 
our  tongue  is  to  be  found  in  our  historic  works.  We 
have  a  vast  many  noble  original  works  in  the  depart- 
ment of  history  and  translations  of  all  the  valuable 
books  which  have  been  written  in  other  languages, 
both  ancient  and  modern. 

I  began  my  reading  of  this  kind,  with  Rollin's 
Ancient  History.  This  book  I  would  recommend  to 
all  3^oung  men.  It  lays  a  good  foundation  for  a  knowl- 
edge of  ancient  history,  although  many  of  the  sub- 
jects treated  of  by  Rollin,  have  been  better  investi- 
gated and  discussed  since  his  day.  He  plunges  into 
the  popular  current   of    events   without  very  much 


A   BLIND   MINISTER.  53 

investigation,  and  goes  on  with  his  free  and  generally 
correct  narration.  His  book  forms  a  noble  body  of 
ancient  history. 

It  is  delightful,  in  reading  ancient  story,  to  pass 
from  the  gloom  of  Egypt  to  the  loveliness  of  Greece. 
0 1  the  refreshing  verdure  of  Grecian  history !  I 
love  to  linger  over,  its  pages.  The  old  Greeks  left 
abundant  materials  for  the  elucidation  of  the  story  of 
their  country;  and  there  is  a  fascination  about  the  pub- 
lic, the  literary,  and  the  domestic  life  of  the  Greeks, 
which  has  attracted  the  attention  and  employed  the 
diligence  of  a  multitude  of  scholars.  The  Grecian 
type  of  civilization  has  obtained  throughout  the  na- 
tions of  "Western  Europe,  and  is  the  controlling  element 
in  the  civilization  of  our  own  country.  This  consider- 
ation imparts  great  interest  to  the  historic  accounts  of 
those  remarkable  and  polished  states. 

I  have  been  amused  with  the  disputes  of  scholars 
about  the  comparative  claims  of  Egypt  and  Greece  to 
originality  and  variety  in  their  respective  inventions. 
Egypt  undoubtedly  made  a  great  many  ingenious  and 
useful  inventions,  and  a  number  of  them  have  recently 
come  to  light  by  the  discovery  of  paintings  in  the 
tombs  of  her  kings.  But  Egypt  was  exclusive  —  she 
shut  up  her  knowledge  and  confined  it  very  much  to 
the  class  of  the  priesthood.  These  priests  imparted  it 
in  but  very  stinted  measures,  to  inquirers  from  other 
countries.  Egypt  never  invented  an  intelligible  lan- 
guage, which  embodied  her  literature  and  science,  for 
the  benefit  of  other  nations. 

I  have  always  felt  some  repugnance  to  ancient 
Egyptian  history,  with  all  its  mysterious  grandeur. 
There  is  however  one  bright  side  to  the  history  of  old 
5* 


54  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

Egypt.  It  is  interwoven,  in  some  degree,  with  tlie  his- 
tory of  the  Jews ;  and  the  Bible  reflects  some  broad 
and  interesting  hghts  upon  the  marvellous  story  of 
ancient  Egypt ;  and  her  antiquities  have  also  reflected 
some  light  upon  the  sacred  text;  and  the  remotest 
parts  of  Egyptian  history  win  the  regard  and  interest 
of  the  pious  student  of  the  Bible. 

But  the  Greeks  were  hospitable  and  generous. 
They  invited  the  world  to  come  to  their  schools  of  art 
and  philosophy :  and  wits  and  geniuses  from  distant 
lands  were  cordially  welcomed  to  their  lectures  on 
philosophy  and  eloquence.  Greece  invented  the  most 
perfect  language  the  world  ever  saw,  and  embodied  in 
that  language  her  rich  and  varied  literature.  I  love 
the  taste  of  the  Greeks  for  all  kinds  of  beauty.  Even 
the  pitcher,  which  brought  water  from  the  fountain, 
must  be  beautiful  as  well  as  convenient,  or  the  taste 
of  the  cultivated  Greek  was  offended.  There  are  a 
great  many  particular  histories  of  Greece,  which  con- 
stitute a  delightful  portion  of  reading,  and  which  can 
be  found  in  most  libraries,  and  may  be  selected  and 
perused  as  may  suit  the  taste  of  the  reader. 

Grote's  elaborate  and  voluminous  history  of  Greece 
is  universally  admitted  to  be  the  best  work  on  that 
subject.  He  takes  time  and  room  enough  to  be  minute 
on  his  topic,  and  dwells  upon  it  long  enough  to  give 
the  reader  a  clear  conception  of  it  and  deeply  interest 
his  feelings.  His  splendid  narrative  stretches  from  the 
mist  of  ancient  fable  down  to  the  extinction  of  Gre- 
cian glory ;  and  the  perusal  of  his  work  will  not  fail 
to  make  a  permanent  impression  of  the  affairs,  arts, 
and  philosophy  of  Greece.  Indeed,  Grote's  narrative 
will,  I  think,  not  be  easily  effaced  from  the  memory. 


A   BLIND   MINISTER.  55 

He  who  would  acquire  a  full  and  accurate  knowledge 
of  Grecian  history,  must  give  his  days  and  nights  to 
the  reading  of  Grote,  till  he  has  completed  the  book ; 
and  then  he  will  have  a  mass  of  knowledge  which  he 
will  not  soon  forget. 

Anacharsis'  Travels  is,  I  fear,  too  little  read  by  our 
well-informed  young  men.  It  is  an  entertaining  and 
fascinating  book,  and  sets  us  down  and  makes  us  very 
much  at  home  in  the  ancient  Greek  states,  and  helps 
us  to  enter  into  their  sympathies  and  modes  of  life. 

Rome  constitutes  a  worthy  and  splendid  subject  of 
history,  and  it  has  been  ably  and  fully  treated.  Fergu- 
son's History  of  the  Roman  Republic  is  one  of  the 
best  works  on  that  subject.  It  is  full  of  practical  wis- 
dom, and  is  rendered  exceedingly  entertaining  by  a 
great  number  of  personal  anecdotes  and  passages  of 
private  history,  with  which  it  is  enlivened.  Middle- 
ton's  Life  of  Cicero  assists  one  greatly  to  feel  at  home 
in  ancient  Rome.  It  is  a  work  of  great  ability  and 
elegance. 

Arnold's  History  of  Rome,  so  far  as  it  goes,  seems  at 
the  present  time  to  be  in  the  ascendant.  It  is  a  pop- 
ular, pleasing,  and  profound  work ;  and  the  story  of 
that  wonderful  state  has  been  taken  up  and  pursued, 
from  the  point  where  Arnold  abruptl}^  left  it,  by  his 
premature  death,  by  another  cultivator  of  Roman  his- 
tory, the  celebrated  Merivale,  who  has  undertaken  to 
fill  the  void  of  Roman  history  from  the  end  of  the 
second  Punic  war  to  that  period  in  the  empire  when 
Gibbon  begins  his  vast  and  splendid  work. 

The  gradual  rise  of  a  small  and  obscure  town  to  the 
empire  of  the  world,  is  a  fact  which  has  no  parallel. 
The  fabric  which  the  inhabitants  of  the  little  town  of 


56  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

Home  reared,  was  a  most  durable  structure ;  and  the 
fragments  of  it  are  not  yet  demolished. 

Plutarch's  Lives  constitute  a  very  entertaining  por- 
tion of  ancient  history,  and  they  shed  brightness  over 
many  of  its  scenes.  The  reader  will  find  on  Plu- 
tarch's canvas  a  multitude  of  noble  figures,  in  view 
of  which  his  heart  will  warm  and  expand :  and  he  will 
find,  also,  a  vast  deal  of  pleasing  gossip  about  most 
of  the  originals  of  these  pictures. 

In  regard  to  modern  history,  books  are  abundant, 
and  are  to  be  found  everywhere ;  and  the  best  of  them 
are  so  well  known  that  the  student  hardly  needs  any 
guide.  Before  leaving  this  subject,  I  will  say  a  word 
of  Robertson's  History  of  Charles  Y.,  which  contains 
a  personal  sketch  that  exerted  a  great  and  moulding 
influence  on  my  youthful  character.  I  read  this  book 
at  the  time  when  I  was  particularly  susceptible  to  the 
influence  of  great  examples ;  and  I  was  delighted  with 
some  of  the  qualities  of  Ximenes,  the  minister  of 
Charles  Y.  I  pitied  the  superstitions  and  painful  pen- 
ances of  this  extraordinary  man ;  but  his  self-denial,  his 
tenacity,  and  inflexibility  of  purpose,  joined  to  the 
most  indefatigable  industry,  interested  me  exceed- 
ingly, and  awakened  in  me  earnest  determinations  to 
go  and  do  likewise.  This  determination  had  a  bene- 
ficial influence  on  my  conduct  for  a  long  time. 

Early  in  life,  I  read  with  advantage  Bacon's  famous 
work  on  the  Advancement  of  Learning.  It  is  a  sort 
of  panorama  of  almost  every  department  of  knowl- 
edge. It  gave  me  an  expansion  of  mind  which  I  had 
not  experienced  before.  It  opens  up  to  the  reader  a 
vast  range  of  subjects,  and  is  very  suggestive. 

Bacon's  Essays,  is  a  Httle  book  which  I  read  at  the 


A    BLTND    MTXTSTI'^R.  57 

same  time,  and  I  would  commend  it  earnestly  to  every 
young  man.  It  is  full  of  profound  and  brilliant 
thoughts,  and  contains  an  immense  quantity  of  valua- 
ble matter  in  few  words. 

Our  limits  will  not  permit  us  to  go  over  the  rich 
and  boundless  fields  of  English  literature.  We  will 
skip  over  the  intermediate  works,  from  Lord  Bacon  to 
Dr.  Sam.  Johnson.  At  the  period  of  my  life  of  which 
I  am  now  treating,  I  became  intimately  and  enthusias- 
tically conversant  with  the  writings  of  Johnson ;  in- 
deed, I  was  educated  in  his  school,  and  his  works  did 
more  to  invigorate  my  mind  and  direct  the  conduct 
of  my  understanding  than  any  others  in  the  language. 
Johnson's  works  are  characterized  by  immense  vigor 
of  thought,  precision  of  understanding,  and  clearness 
of  expression.  Let  him  treat  what  subject  he  may, 
the  reader  cannot  fail  to  perceive  that  he  is  a  man  of 
great  capacity.  In  some  of  his  letters,  subjects  are 
discussed  which  had  not  been  much  examined  in  his 
day,  and  they  are  always  illuminated  with  the  most 
capacious  views.  His  works  should,  of  course,  be  read 
with  discrimination.  We  are  not  obliged  to  imbibe 
his  prejudices,  or  be  affected  by  his  passions,  for  they 
were  very  strong — of  a  personal, political,  and  religious 
kind.  In  his  Lives  of  the  Poets,  he  does  great  injus- 
tice, from  his  political  and  religious  prejudices,  to 
some  of  the  mightiest  masters  of  song.  Many  of  their 
finest  thoughts  were  too  ethereal  for  his  rude  and  giant 
grasp. 

Boswell's  Life  of  Johnson  is  the  best  biography  in 
the  language.  There  are  rich  gems  of  thought  scat- 
tered up  and  down  his  letters  and  conversations.  It 
is   a   book  which,  while   it   dehghts   in   the   perusal. 


58  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

strengthens  the  understanding,  and  trains  it  to  habits 
of  acute  and  vigorous  thought.  No  mind  that  rises 
to  the  ordinary  level  can  read  Johnson's  works  with- 
out decided  improvement. 

This  will  be  the  appropriate  place  to  pay  a  tribute 
of  gratitude  and  respect  to  the  memory  of  a  man  to 
whom  I  am  under  great  obligations:  and  who  was,  per- 
haps, the  best  friend  God  ever  gave  me.  That  friend 
was  Henry  D.  Sedgwick,  of  Stockbridge,  son  of  the 
illustrious  Theodore  Sedgwick.  "We  were  very  nearly 
of  the  same  age.  We  grew  up  in  the  same  village, 
and  were  educated  in  the  same  schools  and  at  the 
same  college.  Mr.  Sedgwick  was  a  generous  and  dis- 
interested friend,  and,  when  my  sight  began  to  fail,  he 
was,  like  the  Prince  of  Uz,  "Eyes  to  the  blind."  He 
withdrew  from  his  father's  ofiSce,  where  he  was  study- 
ing law,  to  read  to  me  night  and  day.  We  had  very 
many  images  and  feelings  in  common,  and  our  com- 
munity of  tastes  made  our  joint  studies  delightful  and 
profitable. 

Mr.  Sedgwick  was  a  man  of  genius  and  learning. 
He  had  large  capacity  and  singular  acuteness  and 
flexibility  of  mind.  Mr.  Bleecker,  an  eminent  lawyer 
of  Albany,  who  several  times  represented  his  district 
in  Congress,  and  was  afterwards  minister  at  the 
Hague,  and  who  knew  him  well,  remarked  to  me,  that 
he  thought  Mr.  Sedgwick  to  be  the  most  sensible  man 
he  had  ever  seen  in  the  United  States. 

In  his  legal  practice,  in  the  city  of  New  York,  he 
made  a  number  of  able  and  exhausting  efforts  at  the 
bar.  Soon  after  one  of  them,  an  inflammation  of  the 
brain  supervened,  which  produced,  for  a  short  time, 
mental  aberration.     From  this  he  recovered ;  but  in- 


A   BLIND   MINISTER.  '69 

tense  efforts  in  reading  and  writing  were  the  immediate 
causes  of  bis  early  death.  There  have  been  frequent 
discussions  among  the  friends  of  this  remarkable  man 
in  regard  to  his  distinctive  and  predominating  intel- 
lectual and  moral  qualities  ;  but  I  have  always  con- 
sidered that  an  acute  discrimination  was  his  chief 
intellectual  attribute,  and  that  benevolence  was  his 
grand  moral  quality.  His  untimely  death  eclipsed  the 
gladness  of  a  large  circle  of  friends,  who  knew,  re- 
spected, and  loved  him.  I  speak  of  him  in  this  con- 
nection, because  Johnson's  works  are  associated  with 
him  in  my  mind.  He  read  over  to  me  repeatedly  all 
the  works  of  this  famous  author,  for  whom  we  had  a 
mutual  admiration. 

The  cant  of  modern  pedantry  undertakes  to  find 
fault  with  Johnson's  writings,  on  account  of  their 
pompous  and  resounding  periods.  There  may  be 
some  faults  in  his  style,  but  whoever  neglects  to  read 
his  works,  omits  the  most  interesting  and  profitable 
department  of  English  literature. 


CHAPTER    V. 

MY  PROFESSIONAL   EDUCATION. 

New  Phase  of  Letters.  —  Studies  in  a  Garret.  —  Political  Aspirations.  — 
Fourth  of  July  Oration.  —  Interview  with  Aaron  Burr.  —  His  Char- 
acter. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  present  century,  a  new 
phase  of  letters  appeared.  There  had  always  been 
more  or  less  reviewing  in  the  world ;  but  when  the 
Edinburgh  Review  appeared,  the  art  took  an  aquiline 
flight.  I  read  this  famous  periodical  from  the  begin- 
ning, with  great  pleasure  and  profit ;  and  watched, 
with  delight,  the  immense  influence  it  acquired  in 
human  affairs,  by  dint  of  fair  ability.  There  were  no 
recesses  in  mathematics,  metaphysics,  or  politics  too 
recondite  to  elude  its  critical  grasp.  The  London 
Quarterly  appeared  soon  after  the  Edinburgh,  and 
with  equally  high  pretensions  in  regard  to  matters  of 
taste  and  learning.  These  extraordinary  reviews  con- 
stituted an  entertaining  and  profitable  part  of  my 
reading ;  and  it  is  cheering  to  perceive  that,  down  to 
the  present  time,  they  are  sustained  with  unflagging 
ability. 

While  I  was  going  on  with  this  ample  career  of 
reading,  I  was  in  the  habit  of  retiring  to  a  garret  at 
our  house,  which  was  a  large,  convenient,  and  airy 
room,  for  the  purpose  of  solitary  meditation,  where  I 

(Q0^ 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP   A  BLIND   MINISTER.  61 

was  far  from  any  causes  of  disturbance.  I  requested 
not  to  be  called,  unless  some  particular  friend  inquired 
for  mo.  In  this  garret  I  placed  a  table  loaded  with 
books  and  stationery,  to  aid  in  exciting  and  fixing 
thought.  Though  I  could  not  see  at  all,  I  made  use 
of  my  pen  in  jotting  down  principal  ideas,  and  I  here 
employed  the  materials  which  my  large  reading  fur- 
nished me,  in  prosecuting  my  studies  and  researches. 
These  retired  garret-sittings  assisted  me  very  much 
in  mental  discipline  and  improvement.  When  I  turn 
my  memory  back  upon  them,  they  seem  like  so  many 
luminous  spots  in  my  path. 

About  this  time,  I  cherished  some  political  aspira- 
tions, and  determined  to  make  myself  a  statesman, 
notwithstanding  my  blindness.  Indeed,  this  had  always 
been  my  ambition.  I  had  from  early  life  been  an 
ardent  patriot,  and  the  image  of  my  country  rose  be- 
fore me,  a  venerable  and  glorious  picture.  I  loved 
politics,  and  had  always  mixed  myself  up  with  them. 
I  wrote  for  the  papers  when  I  was  a  boy,  and  my 
friends  and  relations  were  many  of  them  in  political 
life,  and  some  of  them  occupied  eminent  official  sta- 
tions. One  of  my  first  cousins  was  Vice-President 
of  the  United  States.  My  interest  in  politics  was 
known  to  my  political  friends  in  Stockbridge,  and  the 
leaders  in  the  dominant  party  offered  me  an  election 
to  the  Legislature  of  Massachusetts  the  next  spring. 
This  prospect  gratified  me ;  but  the  religious  bias 
which  came  over  my  feelings  determined  me  to  decline 
all  political  strifes  and  promotions. 

In  the  spring  of  1809,  the  towns  constituting  the 
southern  half  of  the  County  of  Berkshire,  determined 
on  a  celebration  of  Independence  at  Barrington.     At 


62  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

a  preliminary  meeting,  I  was  appointed  tbe  orator  for 
the  occasion,  and  the  appointment  I  accepted,  contrary 
to  the  remonstrances  of  my  brother,  who  begged  of  me 
to  pursue  the  "  noiseless  tenor  of  my  way."  He  was 
cautious  and  sometimes  timid  in  his  policy,  but  I  was 
enterprising  and  sometimes  adventurous.  My  success 
surpassed  the  expectations  of  myself  and  friends. 
My  oration  was  published  and  passed  through  two  edi- 
tions. I  won  golden  opinions  and  acquired  a  rank 
and  consideration  with  the  public  which  I  had  not  be- 
fore enjoyed.  This  was  a  great  advantage  to  me  in 
regard  to  my  ulterior  movements  ,*  for  when,  some  time 
after,  I  formed  a  purpose  to  prepare  for  the  ministry, 
my  friends  regarded  the  enterprise  with  confidence. 

This  affair  of  the  oration  did  much  to  smooth  my 
path.  My  address  difFered  from  the  usual  run  of  Fourth 
of  July  orations.  It  was  not  an  empty  declamation 
about  the  glory  of  our  country,  and  the  magnificence 
of  our  liberties,  addressed  to  the  vulgar  passions  of 
our  countrymen ;  but  was,  I  think,  a  classic  perform- 
ance. 

In  the  summer  of  1809,  I  met  my  cousin,  Aaron 
Burr,  at  the  house  of  our  common  uncle,  Hon.  Timothy 
Edwards,  in  Stockbridge.  This  was  the  first  time  he 
had  visited  our  uncle,  for  whom  he  had  a  profound 
reverence,  since  his  return  from  Europe. 

Burr  is  a  conspicuous  character  in  American  history ; 
and,  as  I  felt  the  most  intense  curiosity  to  make  his 
acquaintance,  and  study  his  mind,  I  had  several  inter- 
views with  him  during  this  visit  of  two  or  three  days. 
His  conversation  was  instructive  and  fascinating,  and, 
joined  to  his  bearing,  conveyed  to  my  mind  the  impres- 
sion that  he  was  made  by  the  God  of  Nature,  to  put 


A  BLIND  MINISTER.  63 

forth  a  commanding  agency  in  human  affairs.  His  lan- 
guage was  clear  as  light.  His  conversation  was 
sententious  and  condensed,  and  I  never  knew  a  man 
convey  as  much  meaning  in  as  few  words,  I  heard 
him  sketch  the  character  of  a  number  of  our  revolu- 
tionary patriots  and  heroes  in  a  wonderfully  graphic 
manner,  and  I  thought  him  a  great  moral  painter. 

My  uncle  told  me  that,  after  Burr  came  home  from 
his  Canadian  campaign,  he  described  to  him  the  char- 
acter of  Benedict  Arnold,  ^^  Arnold,"  said  Burr,  "is  a 
perfect  madman  in  the  excitements  of  battle,  and  is 
ready  for  any  deeds  of  valor ;  but  he  has  not  a  particle 
of  moral  courage.  He  is  utterly  unprincipled,  and  has 
no  love  of  country  or  self-respect  to  guide  him.  He 
is  not  to  be  trusted  anywhere  but  under  the  eye  of  a 
superior  officer," 

The  day  after  Burr  left  our  uncle's,  I  called  at  the 
house,  to  talk  over  the  impressions  of  this  unwonted 
visit.  My  aunt  was  a  venerable  and  pious  woman. 
''  I  want  to  tell  you,  cousin,"  said  she,  ^'  the  scene  I 
passed  through  this  morning.  When  Col.  Burr's  car- 
riage had  driven  up  to  the  door,  I  asked  him  to  go 
with  me  into  the  north  room,  and  I  cannot  tell  you  how 
anxious  I  felt,  as  I,  an  old  woman,  went  through  the 
hall  with  that  great  man.  Col.  Burr,  to  admonish  him, 
and  to  lead  him  to  repentance.  After  we  ^vere  by  our- 
selves, I  said  to  him,  *  Col.  Burr,  I  have  a  thousand 
tender  memories  associated  with  you.  I  took  care  of 
you  in  your  childhood,  and  I  feel  the  deepest  concern 
over  your  erring  steps.  You  have  committed  a  great 
many  sins  against  God,  and  you  killed  that  great  and 
good  man.  Gen.  Hamilton.  I  beseech  you  to  repent, 
and  fly  to  the  blood  and  righteousness  of  the  Redeemer 


64  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

for  pardon.  I  cannot  bear  to  think  of  your  being  lost, 
and  I  often  pray  most  earnestly  for  your  salvation.' 
The  only  reply  he  made  to  me/'  continued  the  excel- 
lent old  lady,  "  was,  ^  Oh,  aunt,  don't  feel  so  badly ;  we 
shall  both  meet  in  Heaven  yet ;  meanwhile,  may  God 
bless  you.'  He  then  tenderly  took  my  hand  and  left 
the  house." 

My  cousin,  Judge  Ogden  Edwards,  told  me  a  few 
months  ago,  that  he  was  going  to  write  a  book  about 
Col.  Burr,  and  he  was  prepared  for  the  task.  His 
motto  indicates  the  scope  of  the  book : 

*•  The  evil  that  men  do,  lives  after  them  ; 
The  good  is  oft  interred  with  their  bones.'* 

It  is  to  be  made  up  of  anecdotes,  characteristic  of 
Burr.  These  anecdotes  will  be  stamped  with  perfect 
authenticity  ;  for  they  are  the  results  of  personal  obser- 
vation, and  nobody  will  question  the  verity  of  the 
statements  of  Judge  Edwards.  He  does  not  propose 
to  write  a  biography,  but  to  give  to  the  world  a  volume 
of  incidents,  passages,  and  conversations  in  the  life  of 
Burr.  He  was  very  intimate  with  the  subject  of  his 
sketches  till  his  death.  "  The  world,"  said  Edwards, 
"  has  seen  enough  of  the  dark  side  of  Burr,  and  it  is 
time  that  the  sunny  side,  if  there  be  any  sunny  side, 
was  shown  up."  I  called  earnestly  on  my  cousin  to 
remember  the  precariousness  of  life,  and  the  fact  that 
the  anecdotes,  which  he  knows,  will  be  buried  with  him 
unless  he  publishes  them.  I  call  on  him  to  stand  forth 
immediately  with  a  volume  of  anecdotes,  characteristic 
of  Aaron  Burr.  This  extraordinary  man  will  always 
constitute  a  brilliant  subject  of  American  biography ; 
and,  without  the  aid  of  this  promised  book,  the  life  of 


A  BLIND  MINISTER.  65 

Burr  cannot  be  fully  and  impartially  written.  "  Burr's 
character,"  said  Mr.  E.,  "appears  before  the  country 
in  a  mutilated  shape,  and  is  painted  black,  without  any 
shades  or  streaks  of  light.  Burr,  to  my  certain  know- 
ledge, was  one  of  the  most  benevolent  of  human 
beings,  and  his  life  affords  a  mighty  moral ;  for,  with  all 
his  stupendous  talents,  he  died  in  comparative  penury, 
unhonored  and  unmourned,  because  there  were  deep 
stains  upon  his  moral  character." 

But  all  the  leading  traits  of  Burr's  mind  were  intel- 
lectual, and  it  is  to  be  doubted  whether  soft  sentiments, 
passion,  or  romance,  had  any  very  strong  hold  upon 
him.  He  was  in  no  degree  intemperate,  and  never 
abandoned  himself  to  the  excesses  or  pleasures  of  the 
table.  His  profligacy  lay  in  another  direction,  and 
admits  of  no  palliation  or  excuse.  But  it  is  possible 
that  the  eminence  of  Burr  might  have  led  to  some 
exaggerations  of  his  demeanor  in  private  life.  He  was 
as  ambitious  as  Csesar,  and  perhaps  equalled  him  in 
talents  —  and  his  vices  were  of  a  similar  kind.  But 
Ca3sar  had  not  the  restraints  of  religion;  the  lights 
of  Christianity  had  not  then  shone  upon  the  world. 
But,  around  Burr's  path,  this  light  shone  full  and  flow- 
ing, and  had  produced  a  fineness  of  moral  complexion 
over  the  face  of  society,  which  Csesar  never  saw,  and 
took  from  the  former  all  excuse  for  his  profligacy. 

There  was  in  this  extraordinary  man  a  combination 
of  intellectual  qualities,  to  which  we  may  apply  the 
words  of  Cicero,  in  relation  to  Caesar : 

*'  Fuit  in  illo  ingenium,  ratio,  memoria,  littera,  cura,  cogitatio, 
diligentia." 

Since  writing  the  above,  I  have  chanced  —  among 
6* 


66  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

my  old  papers  —  upon  a  letter  from  my  uncle,  Pier- 
pont  Edwards,  to  my  mother,  before  her  marriage. 
The  letter  was  written  ninety  years  ago,  from  Eliza- 
bethtown,  N.  J.,  when  Edwards  and  Burr  were  boys 
at  school.     The  letter  is  a  curious  relic  : 

**Elizabethtown,  Oct.  4th,  1763. 
"  My  Dear  Sister  Lucy,  —  *    *    *    *    I  am  reading  Virgil,  and 
Greek  grammar.     *     *     *     i  could  have  entered  college,  but  my 
constitution  would  not  bear  it,  being  weak.     *     *     *     # 

"Aaron  Burr  is  here,  is  hearty,  goes  to  school,  and  learna 
bravely.     *     *     *     * 

"  I  am  your  loving  brother, 

"  PiERPONT  Edwards." 

Burr's  early  development  of  mind  excited  the 
admiration  of  the  boy  Edwards,  who,  though  a  child 
himself,  was  uncle  to  Burr.  It  is  interesting  to  con- 
template two  such  boys  at  school.  They  had  proba- 
bly but  feeble  glimpses  of  the  paths  of  glory  they  were 
afterwards  to  tread.  They  both  reached  the  very 
first  rank  at  the  bar,  displayed  a  great  power  of  analy- 
sis, and,  in  eloquence,  were  unrivalled  in  their  day. 

While  writing  this,  the  following  account  of  Burr's 
death  appeared  in  a  respectable  periodical : 

"  His  physician,  observing  indications  of  approaching  death, 
thought  it  his  duty  to  inform  him  of  the  fact,  and  to  assure  him 
that  whatever  preparation  he  might  wish  to  make  for  death  should 
be  made  at  once.  In  as  gentle  tones  as  he  could  command,  he 
broached  the  subject,  assuring  him  that  within  twenty-four  hours, 
at  farthest,  he  must  be  a  dead  man.  Mr.  Burr  replied,  '  I  can't 
die,  I  won't  die,  I  shan't  die.'  My  father,  and  mother,  and  grand- 
parents, and  uncles,  and  aunts,  were  all  pious  and  good  people. 
They  prayed  for  my  conversion  a  thousand  times  ;  and  if  God  be  a 
hearer  of  prayer,  he  is  not  going  to  let  me  die  until  their  prayers 


A    BLIND   MINISTER.  67 

are  answered.  It  is  impossible  that  the  child  of  so  many  prayers 
will  be  lost.'  The  doctor  replied,  '  Mr.  Burr,  you  are  already 
dying.'  lie  then  went  over  pretty  much  the  same  expressions  as 
given  above,  and  sank  into  a  stupor,  and  soon  slept  the  sleep  that 
knows  no  waking.  Our  informant  received  the  impression  that  he 
had  run  the  rounds  of  his  iniquity,  all  the  while  indulging  the 
hope  that,  like  the  celebrated  Augustine,  before  he  died  he  would 
be  converted,  in  answer  to  the  prayers  of  his  pious  parents  and 
friends." 

I  doubt  exceedingly  the  correctness  of  the  above 
account,  and  I  should  not  here  insert  it,  if  I  had  not 
perceived  that  it  is  running  the  rounds  of  the  religious 
and  political  papers,  and  rapidly  gaining  public  cre- 
dence, and  becoming  a  matter  of  history. 

The  account  also  describes  Mr.  Burr  as  being  rest- 
less and  abusive  to  those  about  him.  I  consider  this 
account  to  be  substantially  fabulous,  as  three  cousins 
of  mine,  intelligent  and  pious  persons,  who  were 
almost  constantly  with  Burr  in  his  last  sickness,  have 
given  me  a  very  different  picture  of  the  scene.  They 
inform  me  that  he  was  uniformly  polite  and  delicate  in 
bis  attentions  to  those  around  him,  and  even  chival- 
rous in  his  politeness  to  a  pious  lady,  who  was  his 
cousin,  and  read  to  him  some  portions  of  his  grand- 
father's writings,  with  which  he  was  tenderly  affected, 
and  for  the  reading  of  which  he  expressed  his  grati- 
tude. 

These  friends,  on  whom  I  rely  with  implicit  confi- 
dence, throw  some  soft  and  cheering  lights  around  the 
last  scenes  of  Burr's  life,  by  the  interesting  accounts 
they  gave  me.  After  the  death  of  Hamilton,  it  was 
the  public  tendency  to  pour  popular  obloquy  on 
Burr,  and  it  has  happened  to  him,  as  to  some  other 
great  men,  to  be  loaded  with  obloquy  after  his  death. 


68  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF   A  BLIND   MINISTER. 

But  there  are  indications  that  it  will  happen  to  his 
memory,  as  it  has  happened  to  others  who  have  been 
overwhelmed  with  calumny,  that  the  better  parts  of 
his  life  will  be  brought  to  light  and  appreciated  by  the 
public. 

The  account  of  Burr's  last  scenes  given  to  me  by 
my  cousins,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Yan  Pelt  has  confirmed  by  a 
statement  he  has  just  published,  to  show  that  the  popu- 
lar account  which  is  now  afloat  is  false,  and  to  spread 
the  truth  before  the  pubHc.  Dr.  Yan  Pelt  visited 
him  two  or  three  times  a  week,  through  the  whole  of 
his  last  sickness,  as  his  spiritual  adviser.  He  had  faith- 
ful religious  conversations  with  Burr,  and  always 
closed  his  visits  with  prayer,  by  the  request  of  the 
sujfferer,  who  uniformly  expressed  his  gratitude,  par- 
ticularly for  the  prayers. 

He  describes  Col.  Burr  as  exceedingly  polite,  and, 
in  regard  to  religion,  always  serious  and  reverent. 
He  composed  himself,  with  confiding  seriousness,  for 
the  last  event,  which  he  looked  upon  with  awe  and 
resignation.  Dr.  Yan  Pelt's  account  is  very  cheering, 
and  must  set  at  rest  the  public  mind  on  this  interest- 
ing subject. 


CHAPTER   VI. 

MY   PROFESSIONAL   EDUCATION. 

My  Religious  Change. — Abandoned  Law  and  went  to  Andover.  —  Let- 
ters to  my  Brother.  —  Character  of  Dr.  Griffin.  —  Professor  Stuart. 
—  Dr.  Woods.  —  Notice  of  Mills,  the  Pioneer  of  Foreign  Missions. 

I  NOW  come  to  a  period  of  my  life,  laden  with  grave 
consequences  to  myself,  and  ultimately — though  I  had 
no  thought  of  it  at  the  time — with  important  conse- 
quences to  many  others.  In  my  jfirst  draft  of  this 
sketch,  I  gave  a  long  account  of  the  antecedents  and 
accompaniments  of  my  religious  change ;  but,  on  a 
re-perusal,  I  find  that  so  lengthened  an  account  is  not 
in  keeping  with  the  aim  of  this  volume,  which  is  de- 
signed for  the  general  reader,  and  not  for  a  delinea- 
tion of  the  spiritual  exercises  of  my  inner  life.  Omiting 
most  of  what  I  wrote  on  this  subject,  I  shall  only 
indicate  an  outline  of  the  path  by  which  the  benign 
agency  of  God's  good  Spirit  led  me  along. 

In  the  year  1809,  my  attention  was  drawn  decis- 
ively to  the  subject  of  religion.  I  had  read  Butler's 
Analogy,  and  it  impressed  me  with  more  seriousness 
than  any  book  I  had  ever  read.  His  comprehensive 
views  about  the  government  of  God  roused  me  to  the 
deepest  consideration.  He  made  me  feel  that  it  was 
madness  and  folly  in  a  rational  being  to  be  carried 
along  by  the  current  of  surrounding  events,  without 
knowing   their   bearing    and    their   tendencies.      He 

(69) 


70  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

made  me  feel  that  I  was  unworthy  the  rank  of  a 
rational  being,  if  I  did  not  look  above  me  and  around 
me,  and  read  the  high  significance  of  events  that  were 
within  my  observation.  My  serious  and  earnest 
thought  led  me  to  consider  my  relations  with  God.  In 
these  considerations  I  repaired  to  the  Bible.  I  had 
not  a  shadow  of  doubt  of  its  inspiration,  and  it  was 
plainly  the  light  to  which  I  was  to  repair  for  guidance. 
I  read  over  the  four  Evangelists  with  eagerness,  time 
after  time,  for  the  purpose  of  discovering  what  was 
the  leading  drift  of  those  wonderful  compositions.  I 
wanted  to  examine  carefully  the  instructions  of  the 
Great  Teacher  from  heaven.  I  discovered  very 
quickly  that  there  were  certain  great  facts  very  tan- 
gibly revealed.  One  was  our  alienation  from  God ; 
another  was  the  doctrine  of  intervention,  by  Jesus 
Christ,  for  the  salvation  of  men ;  and  another  was  the 
offered  agency  of  the  Spirit. 

I  soon  discovered,  by  personal  experience,  the 
dreadful  fact,  that  I  was  altogether  alienated  from  the 
Being  who  had  made  me.  I  had  wandered  away  from 
my  Maker ;  had  disregarded  his  claims  ;  and  when  I 
considered  them  closely,  with  self-application,  I  disliked 
them.  The  depths  of  sin  in  my  soul,  of  which  I  had 
before  no  suspicion,  were  now  made  very  apparent. 

I  had  been  an  amiable  and  upright  young  man  ;  my 
life  had  been  characterized  by  probity  and  kindness, 
unstained  by  any  vice ;  and  I  thought  that,  if  I  was  ever 
converted  to  any  higher  grade  of  character,  it  would 
be  a  gradual  and  gentle  transition,  like  the  melting 
away  of  the  stars  into  the  magnificence  of  sunlight. 
But  my  case  turned  out,  upon  personal  experience,  to 
be  very  different.    I  found  myself  to  be  a  miserable 


A  BLIND  MINISTER.  71 

and  inexcusable  sinner.  I  wanted  pardon,  and  I  was 
afraid  of  being  deceived  in  this  interesting  matter  of 
my  salvation.  I  had  no  doubt  of  the  Bible ;  but  I 
thought  I  had  been  trained  up  under  a  metaphysical, 
and  perhaps  sophistical,  interpretation  of  the  Word  of 
God.  I  was  afraid  of  mistaking  the  sacred  text,  and  I 
laid  hold  of  every  critical  author  on  the  Greek  text  I 
could  find.  I  examined  Campbell's  Translations  of  the 
Gospels  and  McKnight  on  the  Epistles,  that  I  might 
discover  more  simply  the  mind  of  the  Spirit ;  for  I  was 
hoi'ribly  afraid  of  adopting  interpretations  that  were 
squared  by  some  system.  I  used  all  the  helps  within 
my  reach  to  place  myself  in  the  position  of  the  speaker 
and  the  hearers  in  the  New  Testament  —  that  I  might 
take  up  their  associations,  and  understand  things  as 
they  understood  them. 

I  did  all  I  could  to  divest  myself  of  old  associations 
in  reading  the  Bible,  and  tried  to  stand  like  a  Jew  in 
the  audience  to  whom  the  Great  Teacher  spoke.  I 
was  afraid  modern  theories  and  traditionary  ideas 
would  prevent  or  obscure  the  light  of  the  sacred 
teachings.  I  concealed  my  solicitudes,  but  I  conversed 
with  a  few  men  whom  I  considered  very  able.  Some 
of  them  were  lawyers,  and  erudite  in  their  profession ; 
but  they  gave  me  very  little  information  on  the  subjects 
most  interesting  to  my  heart.  I  was  very  much  alone, 
and  often  retired  into  the  solitary  garret  I  have  spoken 
of,  where  I  supplicated  God  for  light.  I  prayed  for 
strength  to  cast  myself  upon  the  Bedeemer ;  for  I 
knew  that  his  blood  and  righteousness  were  the  only 
basis  of  salvation. 

At  church  I  heard  our  venerable  and  pious  pastor 
preach  a  sermon  on  brokenness  of  heart,  which  greatly 


72  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

affected  me  ;  and  I  returned  from  church  and  com- 
muned with  my  own  heart,  and  I  thought  with  God. 
I  resolved  that  I  would  go  to  Jesus,  whatever  might 
oppose.  Very  soon  after  this,  I  began  to  experience, 
in  some  degree,  the  joyful  anticipations  of  Christian 
hope.  A  religious  bias,  I  am  sure,  came  over  my  feel- 
ings, and  the  world  and  its  pursuits,  warm  and  fascina- 
ting as  they  had  been  to  me,  lost  very  much  of  their 
attractions.  Eternal  things  loomed  up  before  me  as 
palpable  realities.  They  began  to  seem  to  me  to  be 
the  things,  the  very  things,  and  the  only  things,  which 
came  home  to  my  business  and  bosom. 

Not  long  after  this  change  in  my  feelings,  I  began 
to  think  seriously  of  abandoning  my  political  and  legal 
aspirations,  and  devoting  myself  to  the  preaching  of  the 
gospel.  I  felt  an  inextinguishable  desire  to  proclaim 
Christ  and  his  salvation  to  a  dying  world.  The  depth 
and  tenderness  of  my  feelings  on  this  subject  I  can 
hardly  describe.  I  never  met  a  little  rehgious  assem- 
bly without  wishing  to  pour  down  upon^them  some  of 
the  sweet  and  rich  lessons  of  the  gospel ;  and  I  occa- 
sionally ventured  to  warn  an  erring  friend  of  his 
danger,  and  point  him  to  eternal  mercy.  This  I  found 
to  be  the  most  difficult  and  arduous  duty  which  friend- 
ship and  religion  enjoin. 

After  a  great  deal  of  reflection  and  some  consulta- 
tion, I  determined  to  quit  my  brother's  law-office  and 
repair  to  Andover.  I  found  serious  embarrassment 
in  forming  this  determination.  I  have  been  through 
life  stable  in  my  purposes,  and  disinclined  to  change 
my  settled  plans.  The  prospects  of  the  legal  profes- 
sion spread  out  before  me  cheering  visions.  I  had 
associated   with   that   profession  high   hopes  of  emi- 


A   BLIND   MINISTER.  73 

nence  and   pleasure,  and  I  thought  I   had  a  natural 
aptitude  for  legal  pursuits. 

In  addition  to  these  influences,  which  operated  against 
my  change  of  purpose,  my  brother  remonstrated  against 
the  measure,  and,  among  the  arguments  to  repel  me 
from  the  ministry,  he  referred  to  the  secular  condition 
of  ministers.  He  stated,  what  is  indeed  too  true,  that 
they  could  not  count  upon  a  home  of  any  permanence. 
If,  like  other  men,  they  formed  attachments  to  a  par- 
ticular house  and  home,  and,  by  tender  associations, 
clothed  those  domestic  scenes  with  purple  light,  they 
must  soon  leave  them  and  seek  for  other  locations. 
He  told  me,  that  a  minister  might  as  well  base  his 
home  upon  wheels,  for  he  would  likely  be  often  in  mo- 
tion ;  and  then  he  spread  out  before  me  the  penury  of 
ministers  in  old  age.  "  It  is  dreadful,"  said  he,  '^  to 
contemplate  the  condition  of  some  aged  ministers, 
who  are  destitute  of  the  comforts  of  life." 

But  I  thought  I  could  be  more  useful  to  my  fellow 
beings  in  the  ministry  than  in  any  other  walk  of  life  ; 
and  though  most  of  our  measures  undoubtedly  are 
prompted  by  mixed  motives,  I  am  sure  that  my  con- 
trolling motive  in  seeking  the  ministry  was  a  desire 
to  glorify  God  and  bless  my  fellow  men. 

I  left  home  on  this  enterprise,  which,  I  dare  say,  was 
thought  strange  by  some,  early  in  January,  1810,  and 
was  accompanied  in  the  stage  by  my  particular  friend, 
Col.  H.  Brown,  who  was  going  to  the  legislature  as  a 
representative  from  Stockbridge. 

At  Boston,  where  I  spent  two  or  three  days,  I  heard 

Dr.  Griffin  preach ;  and  as  he  was  to  be  one  of  my 

instructors  at  Andover,  I  took  a  very  special  interest 

in  his  performances ;  but  was  somewhat  disappointed 

7  • 


74  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

with  his  preaching,  and  my  experience  was  the  reverse 
of  that  of  the  Queen  of  Sheba,  and  said  to  myself  in 
church,  "  I  have  long  heard  a  report  of  thee  and  thy 
doings,  but"  more  than  the  whole  ^'  was  told  me,  if 
my  final  judgment  is  to  rest  upon  this  specimen.'^ 
The  effort  was  rather  a  failure.  I  observed  nothing 
which  commanded  my  admiration,  except  occasionally 
a  selection  of  tender  and  subduing  words  and  images. 
But  Dr.  Griffin,  like  other  impulsive  men,  was  very 
unequal  in  his  public  efforts.  I  spent  an  evening  with 
him  at  his  house,  and  received  from  him  a  great  deal 
of  cheering  information  about  the  Theological  Semi- 
nary. He  overwhelmed  me  with  his  sympathy  and 
kindness,  and  I  was  delighted  with  him  as  a  man  and 
a  Christian. 

At  Boston  I  called  on  Dr.  Kirkland,  whose  youth, 
and  perhaps  birth,  transpired  in  Stockbridge.  He  was 
the  great  heresiarch  who,  at  that  time,  was  at  the 
head  of  Boston  Unitarianism ;  and  was  afterwards 
president  of  Harvard  University.  He  knew  my  family 
well,  and  was  exceedingly  kind  to  me,  and  made  me 
some  valuable  suggestions.  I  visited  also,  by  the 
request  and  introduction  of  Judge  Sedgwick,  Dr. 
Channing,  who  was  then  pursuing  a  brilliant  ministry 
in  Boston.  He  was  exceedingly  affable  and  affection- 
ate to  me,  and  I  afterwards  visited  him  often. 

I  left  Boston  in  the  stage,  alone,  for  Andover,  and 
went  with  a  heavy  and  anxious  heart.  I  was  going 
among  strangers,  in  pursuit  of  an  object,  which  I  sup- 
posed would  seem  to  many  impracticable.  When  I 
look  back  upon  that  adventure,  from  the  height  where 
I  now  stand,  entrenched  with  reputation,  friends,  large 
experience  and  a  blessed  home,  I  am  filled  with  won- 


A  BLIND  MINISTER.  75 

der,  and  am  amazed  at  the  resolution  which  actuated 
and  sustained  me.  I  permitted  hope  to  dispose  the 
lights  through  which  I  looked  upon  the  future ;  and  if 
my  imagination  had  ventured  to  shape  out  my  present 
position  as  a  possible  event,  I  should  have  said,  *'  If 
the  Lord  would  make  windows  in  heaven,  might  these 
things  be?" 

I  was  received  at  the  Theological  Seminary  with 
fraternal  kindness.  Dr.  Woods  examined  and  admit- 
ted me  in  an  unhesitating  and  generous  manner. 
After  making  the  acquaintance  of  several  students,  I 
began  to  arrange  my  plans  of  study.  I  found  the 
students  all  ready  to  read  and  write  for  me.  Our 
library  was  magnificent,  and  I  found  that  I  should  be 
very  happy  in  my  intellectual  and  moral  enjoyment. 
I  had  arrangements  with  different  students  for  the 
successive  hours  of  the  day,  and  I  look  back  with 
gratitude  upon  those  young  men  who  joined  me  in 
my  studies.  They  have  since  been  among  the  most 
conspicuous  men  of  the  country ;  some  of  them  have 
been  distinguished  ministers,  several  of  them  profes- 
sors in  colleges,  and  some  of  them  are  renowned  mis- 
sionaries. These  men  have  repaired  to  primary 
stations  in  the  church.  With  young  Gallaudet  —  who 
has  since  figured  as  a  philanthropist,  and  who  went 
to  France  to  acquire  the  art  of  teaching  the  deaf 
and  dumb,  that  he  might  introduce  it  into  his  own 
country  —  I  spent  two  hours  every  morning  in  reading 
critical  writers  upon  the  sacred  text. 

After  dinner,  Mr.  Kellogg,  who  was  subsequently 
professor  of  Greek  literature  at  Williams  College — a 
situation  which  I  obtained  for  him — read  to  me  two 
or  three  hours  in  some  of  the  most  learned  works  in 


76  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

our  language.  We  read  over  together  Warburton's 
Divine  Legation  of  Moses,  a  book  which,  in  my  opinion, 
lies  at  the  very  summit  of  English  literature.  That 
famous  bishop  employs  an  immense  mass  of  learning 
to  demonstrate  what  I  think  an  absurd  theory.  But 
let  us  think  what  we  may  of  his  theory,  his  learning 
and  research  are  wonderful.  He  travels  with  a  broad 
and  brilliant  torch  through  almost  every  nook  and 
corner  of  antiquity,  and  brings  to  light  subjects 
which  I  never  expected  to  understand  till  the  reveal- 
ing splendors  of  the  last  day. 

I  found  And  over  to  be  a  sanctuary  of  theological 
learning.  It  was  then  a  place  of  hard  study,  and  the 
average  ability  of  the  students  transcended  my  expec- 
tation. I  studied  with  intense  application.  I  knew 
that  I  was  subjecting  myself  to  a  great  many  priva- 
tions by  this  cloistered  kind  of  life.  I  was  exiled 
from  the  world,  and  determined  to  make  my  situation 
as  pleasant  as  I  could,  by  studying  at  least  fourteen 
hours  a  day.  My  literary  seclusion  was  occasionally 
broken  up  by  the  visits  of  ministers  from  various 
parts  of  the  country,  and  we  sustained  a  wide  and 
familiar  intercourse  with  the  literary  world,  by  the 
reviews  and  new  books  with  which  we  were  well 
supplied. 

My  ideas  of  theological  study  were  suddenly  ex- 
panded and  liberalized.  I  was  hardly  prepared  for 
things  as  I  found  them :  they  were  better  than  I  an- 
ticipated. My  residence  at  Andover  was  a  very  in- 
teresting and  profitable  portion  of  my  life.  I  strength- 
ened and  even  increased  my  habits  of  intense  study, 
and  a  considerable   proportion  of  the  knowledge  I 


A  BLIND  MINISTER.  77 

have  possessed  through  life  I  acquired  in  the  Theo- 
logical Seminary. 

The  part  of  my  life,  with  its  interesting  accom- 
paniments, which  I  spent  in  connection  with  the 
Andover  institution,!  design  now  to  trace;  and  I  shall 
draw  up  tlie  narrative  partly  from  memory,  and  in 
greater  part  from  letters  of  my  own  which  I  have 
found  among  the  papers  of  my  friends.  Some  of 
these  letters  I  shall  publish  entire,  and  some  of  them 
will  only  furnish  me  with  facts  which  I  shall  inter- 
sperse with  my  present  recollections. 

I  will  here  transcribe  a  few  of  my  letters  to  my 
brother: 

Divinity  College,  Feb.  20,  1810. 

My  Very  Dear  Brother,  —  My  last  letter  was  occupied  with  an 
account  of  my  journey  hither,  and  with  matters  personal  to  myself 
since  my  arrival.  I  have  got  my  system  of  life  shaped  out.  My 
healtli  is  excellent.  I  exercise  a  great  deal  by  walking,  and  that  is 
all  the  exercise  I  require,  and  I  think  I  can  bear  very  much  hard 
study. 

You  request  me  to  give  you  sketches  of  our  professors,  and  a  full 
description  of  everything  here.  You  are,  I  perceive,  very  desirous 
of  accurate  and  minute  information  of  the  religious  movements  in 
this  part  of  the  country.  I  do  not  wonder  your  interest  is  directed 
to  this  subject ;  for  the  eastern  part  of  Massachusetts  is  destined  to 
exert  a  mighty  influence  over  the  country.  No  matter  how  widely 
our  country  may  spread,  or  how  many  seats  of  commerce  may  arise, 
the  solid  character  and  educated  mind  of  the  eastern  part  of  Massa- 
chusetts must  put  forth  a  tremendous  influence  upon  every  part  of 
the  land.  The  educational  establishments  of  our  native  State  are 
her  glory  and  her  strength. 

You  tell  me  the  good  people  in  Western  Massachusetts  are  made 
very  sad  by  the  reports  which  are  circulated  in  regard  to  Dr.  Grifiin. 
That  sadness  is  without  any  cause.  The  reports  you  refer  to  are 
totally  destitute  of  foundation.  Nobody  who  lives  within  the 
sphere  of  Dr.  Griflin's  life  and  actions  has  a  shadow  of  belief  in  one 
7* 


78  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

of  those  stories.  He  is  a  holy  man.  I  know  him  intimately,  and 
love  and  reverence  him.  It  is  quite  natural  that  the  atmosphere 
should  be  loaded  vrith  calumnies  about  him.  Park-street  Church 
has  been  erected  in  Boston  as  a  citadel  of  Orthodoxy,  and  Dr. 
Griffin  is  pastor  of  that  church.  It  was  expected  that  he  would 
wield  the  club  of  Hercules,  and  it  was  necessary  that  the  force  of 
his  blow  should  be  weakened  by  slander. 

We  have  a  noble  set  of  professors  here  ;  but,  since  you  seem  to 
take  such  especial  interest  in  Dr.  Griffin,  I  will  give  you  some 
account  of  him  first,  and  paint  the  other  professors  in  subsequent 
letters.  Our  professor  of  sacred  rhetoric.  Dr.  G.,  is  a  man  of 
genius.  Sometimes  his  eloquence  comes  down  like  a  mountain  cata- 
ract ;  sometimes  his  words  are  tender  and  subduing,  and  wing  their 
way  in  to  your  heart  like  a  dissolving  fluid.  He  is  the  most  unequal 
man  I  ever  met  with.  He  would,  at  times,  seem  quite  a  driveller, 
if  it  were  not  for  his  fine  velvet  voice.  Now  he  wades  in  clouds; 
then  fascinates  and  delights  us  with  celestial  strains  of  eloquence. 

He  has  warm  social  affections,  and  wins  your  love.  His  exercises 
in  the  seminary  are  unspeakably  important.  He  is  the  best  critic 
of  a  sermon  I  ever  came  in  contact  with,  and  is  unrivalled  as  a 
teacher  of  elocution.  Professor  Stuart  says  that,  in  regard  to  the 
composition  and  delivery  of  a  sermon,  he  is  the  best  critic  in  the 
United  States.  He  is  impulsive,  and  this  feature  of  character 
sometimes  drives  him  into  great  extravagance:  indeed,  he  is  a  com- 
pound of  excellencies  and  defects,  and  perhaps,  like  other  irregular 
objects,  looks  larger  for  not  being  in  perfect  symmetry.  I  will  tell 
you  more  about  him  when  I  know  him  better. 

We  have  a  good  many  young  men  of  talent  here ;  and,  as  is  to 
be  expected  in  such  a  gathering,  we  have  some  who  verge  to  extreme 
opinions,  and  some  who  have  a  good  deal  of  cant.  But,  on  the 
whole,  we  have  a  precious  assemblage  of  young  men.  They  will,  I 
am  sure,  put  forth  a  great  influence  in  the  world,  and  I  am  equally 
sure  that  it  will  be  for  good. 

Remember  me  most  affectionately  to  your  dear  wife,  who  has  been 
to  me  a  mother,  and  tell  the  dear  children  that  I  long  to  have  the 
time  come  when  I  shall  go  home  and  take  them  to  my  bosom. 
Sincerely,  your  brother, 

T.   WOODBRIDGE. 


A  BLIND  MINISTER.  79 

Divinity  College,  March  20, 1810. 

My  Very  Dk\ii  Brother,  —  It  really  makes  me  a  little  sad  to 
hear  you  speak  of  the  brilliant  and  highly  intelligent  society  which 
surrounds  you.  We  poor  wights  in  this  Bastile  of  learning  are 
excluded  from  those  pleasures;  yet  I  cannot  but  rejoice  in  your 
happiness.  This  mixture  of  emotions  may  exist  in  us  without  any 
conflict.  To  such  metaphysicians  as  we  are,  it  is  perfectly  easy  to 
distinguish  a  thing  in  itself  considered,  and  a  thing  considered  in 
its  relations.  You  press  me  for  further  information  about  men  and 
things  here.  You  want  me  to  give  you  an  account  of  our  new 
Professor  Stuart.  I  can,  as  yet,  give  you  only  the  prominent  mani- 
festations of  his  character  —  the  hidden  elements  will  unfold  them- 
selves in  time  ;  but  it  is  quite  plain  that  he  is  a  man  of  original 
and  distinctive  features  of  character.  He  is  a  kind  of  Luther 
among  us,  and  seems  to  me  to  be  making  as  bold  innovations,  in 
theological  inquiries,  as  Luther  did;  and,  I  think,  will  astonish 
many  of  our  divines  as  much  as  the  great  reformer  astonished  the 
divines  of  his  age. 

I  attend  in  his  department,  from  day  to  day,  with  the  deepest  in- 
terest, and  have  become  enchanted  with  the  study  of  the  Scriptures 
in  the  original  Greek  and  Hebrew.  I  am  delighted  with  the  sim- 
plicity of  the  Hebrew,  and  the  freeness  with  which  it  pours  out  the 
sense  of  the  text.  Professor  Stuart's  department  is  devoted  to  the 
illustration  of  the  sacred  text,  and  that  is  the  noblest  and  most 
profitable  study  a  student  can  pursue.  0,  it  is  sweet  and  delightful 
to  take  our  religious  character  from  the  fresh  and  pure  communi- 
cations of  the  spirit  of  inspiration.  It  is  my  controlling  object,  so 
far  as  study  is  concerned,  to  understand  simply  and  truly  the  sacred 
text.  I  have  had  enough  of  metaphysical  interpretations  of  the 
Bible ;  I  want  to  see  and  hear  prophets  and  apostles  through  the 
eyes  and  ears  of  those  whom  they  addressed.  I  want  to  stand  in 
the  place  of  those  persons,  and  listen  reverently  and  with  childlike 
submission  to  their  oracles. 

We  study  very  hard  here ;  and,  if  I  don't  come  home  somewhat 
illuminated,  I  must  be  the  victim  of  a  terrible  incapacity.  There 
are  some  significant  religious  movements  in  this  part  of  the  coun- 
try. The  lines  of  demarcation  between  the  Orthodox  and  the 
Liberal  are  beginning  to  appear  very  definitely.  There  has  been  a 
great  blending   together  hitherto;   but  churches  are  now  being 


80  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

gathered  out  of  churches,  and  sunderings  are  taking  place  among 
ministers.  I  hope  these  measures  will  be  carried  forward  with  a 
kind  and  liberal  spirit,  and  without  any  aspersions  or  imputations 
of  bad  motives. 

In  my  next  letter  I  will  tell  you  something  about  some  of  our 
students  here,  who  may,  I  think,  by  their  purposes  and  character, 
form  a  new  era  in  the  church.  Samuel  J.  !Mills,  the  son  of  Rev. 
Mr.  Mills,  of  Torringford,  the  friend  of  our  father,  is  here,  and  is 
my  room-mate.     If  I  read  him  aright,  he  is  an  extraordinary  man. 

Pray  that  the  cloud  of  God's  benediction  may  hang  over  this 
great  and  influential  institution,  and  remember  me  most  affection- 
ately to  your  dear  family.  I  shall  write  to  the  children  in  a  day  or 
two,  and  persuade  those  who  are  big  enough  to  write  to  me,  for  I 
love  a  child's  letter :  they  deal  in  home  incidents  and  the  very 
things  an  exile  from  home  wants  to  know. 

I  expect  in  a  few  days  to  go  to  Newburyport,  to  spend  a  Sabbath 
with  Dr.  Spring,  in  compliance  with  his  most  pressing  invitation. 
He  has  an  unmeasured  veneration  for  the  memory  of  our  illustrious 
grandsire. 

Farewell,  dear  brother,  and  may  God  bless  and  preserve  you. 
Sincerely,  your  brother, 

T.    WOODBRTDGE. 

Divinity  College,  April  10,  1810. 

My  Dear  Brother, — I  will  tell  you  something  about  my  visit  to 
Newburyport.  We  arrived  at  Dr.  Spring's  last  Saturday  afternoon, 
and  were  most  genially  received.  You  know  the  doctor,  and  I  need 
not  be  very  minute  in  my  description.  He  has  a  great  deal  of  heart 
as  well  as  a  clear  head.  I  heard  him  preach  all  day  last  Sabbath. 
His  method  is  clear,  argumentative  and  metaphysical ;  but  his  man- 
ner in  the  pulpit  is  certainly  very  disagreeable.  He  is,  however,  a 
pleasing  and  delightful  man  in  conversation.  In  the  pulpit  he  has 
but  little  fluency,  and  his  utterance  is  somewhat  embarrassed. 

His  doctrines  are  thought  to  have  an  edge  of  severity  about  them, 
and  to  be  delivered  in  a  manner  accordant  with  that  character. 
The  doctor  had  a  great  deal  of  talk  about  President  Edwards,  and 
has  a  wonderful  veneration  and  liking  for  our  old  pastor.  Doctor 
West.  I  told  him  many  things  about  some  of  our  students,  who 
have  a  bold  missionary  spirit,  quite  in  advance  of  the  age.     The 


A  BLIND  MINISTER.  81 

doctor  is  very  susceptible  to  such  things,  and  he  kindled  with  mis- 
sionary fire.  We  shall  soon, I  think,  have  some  prominent  mission- 
ary movement,  looking  at  the  conversion  of  the  world. 

I  spent  Sabbath  evening  with  William  Bartlett,  one  of  the 
munificent  patrons  of  this  seminary.  He  began  life  a  shoemaker, 
and  told  me  that  his  kit  of  tools  was  in  his  garret  ready  for  use. 
After  exercising  his  trade  awhile,  he  made  some  commercial  ven- 
tures, and  was  very  lucky.  This  led  him  to  plunge  largely  into 
commerce,  and  he  rapidly  became  wealthy.  The  wheel  of  fortune 
threw  him  up  suddenly  from  penury  to  riches.  I  should  think,  by 
his  manner  and  conversation,  that  he  had  great  simplicity  and  no- 
bleness of  heart.  lie  requires  every  Andover  student  who  comes 
to  Newburyport  to  call  on  him.  He  received  us  hospitably,  and 
constrained  me  and  my  companion  to  spend  the  night  under  his 
roof. 

You  wanted  I  should  give  you  my  views  of  Dr.  Woods.  I  have 
seen  a  good  deal  of  him  since  I  have  been  here,  and  like  exceedingly 
the  structure  of  his  mind.  His  intellect  is  clear  and  comprehen- 
sive: he  is  a  bold  inquirer  after  truth,  and  seems  willing  to  follow 
its  light  wherever  it  leads.  In  his  lectures  with  our  class,  I  observe 
in  him  a  hallowed  and  subduing  candor.  He  is  an  acute,  subtle, 
and  safe  theologian.  His  inquiries  are  cautious  though  broad. 
He  conjures  up  every  objection  and  gives  it  all  the  weight  that  be- 
longs to  it.  Students  like  him  ;  but  he  is  not  particularly  popular 
in  this  part  of  the  country,  which,  I  think,  must  be  owing  to  the 
want  of  a  display  of  generous  social  affections.  I  will  tell  you 
about  Mills  in  my  next. 

Farewell,  dearest  brother,  and  may  God  bless  you  and  yours. 

Sincerely, 

T.  WOODBRIDGE. 


CHAPTER    YIL 

MY    PROFESSIONAL    EDUCATION. 

Journey  to  Connecticut  on  Foot.  —  Sketch  of  Mills.  —  Creation  of  Board 
of  Missions.  —  Fall  Vacation.  —  Curiosity  of  the  Clergy  about  Ando- 
ver.  — Letter  from  Professor  Dewey.  — Introduction  to  First  Sermon. 
—  Visit  to  Dr.  Kirkland.  —  Letter  to  H.  D.  Sedgwick. —  Character  of 
Buckminster.  —  Interview  with  Chief  Justice  Parsons.  —  Letters  from 
Cyrus  Byington. 

When  the  spring  of  1810  occurred,  I  made  a  jour- 
ney on  foot,  with  a  classmate,  to  New  London  county, 
Conn.,  to  visit  my  sister  Lester  and  other  friends. 
The  distance  was  about  one  hundred  and  ten  miles. 
I  (Concealed  my  design  of  travelling  in  this  way  from 
my  friends  in  Stockbridge,  to  escape  their  remon- 
strances. We  travelled  from  thirty  to  thirty-five 
miles  a  day,  and  the  last  day  I  walked  with  bleeding 
feet.  After  spending  the  vacation  in  the  eastern  part 
of  Connecticut  with  affectionate  friends  and  relatives, 
I  returned  to  Andover  in  the  same  mode  of  travel, 
refreshed  and  invigorated.  My  dear  brother  heard  of 
this  expedition,  and  wrote  me  on  the  subject.  I  make 
the  following  extract  from  his  letter  : 

"  What,  my  dear  brother,  could  have  possessed  you  to  go  to  New 
London  county  on  foot?  I  am  sure  you  had  money  enough  to 
travel  in  a  vehicle  ;  if  you  had  not,  you  ought  to  have  drawn  upon 
me.  Uncle  Edwards  says  you  performed  this  feat  that  you  might 
tell  the  story  of  it  when  you  get  to  be  an  old  man.  I  send  you  fif- 
teen dollars,  to  prevent  any  more  pedestrian  expeditions." 

(82) 


A   BLIND   MINISTER.  83 

My  motive  was  not  the  vanity  suggested  by  my 
good  uncle  ;  but  a  design  to  train  myself  to  hardships. 
I  wanted  to  mould  my  constitution  to  hardihood,  and 
acquire  a  power  of  endurance. 

Divinity  College,  July  1,  1810. 

My  Very  Dear  Brother, — You  inquire  of  mo  how  I  feel  now,  in 
regard  to  my  purpose  to  prepare  for  the  ministry,  and  whether  I  do 
not  regret  the  abandonment  of  the  law?  In  answer  to  your  inquiries, 
I  will  be  very  definitive.  I  have  never  regretted  my  change  of  pur- 
pose, difficult  as  it  was  for  me  to  make  that  change.  I  have  never 
vacillated  for  a  moment,  but  have  gone  on  with  a  steady  and  unfal- 
tering step.  My  energies  are  all  concentrated  on  one  object,  and 
that  is  joyfully  to  fulfil  the  ministry  I  hope  to  receive.  I  am  labor- 
ing night  and  day,  and  trust,  in  humble  dependence  on  God's  help, 
to  prepare  myself  to  preach  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ. 

In  my  last  I  promised  to  tell  you  something  about  Mills.  I  will 
redeem  that  promise  now,  and  tell  you  a  great  many  more  interest- 
ing things.  ^Mills  is  an  extraordinary  man,  and  I  love  him  amaz- 
ingly. His  mother  consecrated  him  in  his  childhood  to  the  work 
of  missions.  He  was  early  converted,  and  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord 
God  of  Elisha  fell  upon  him  while  ho  was  in  the  field  at  his  plough. 
He  wept  over  the  heathen,  and  determined  to  give  up  his  whole 
life  to  the  glorious  work  of  publishing  Christ  to  those  who  were 
lying  in  darkness.  I  had  no  conception,  when  I  first  met  him,  of 
his  being  such  a  man,  and  very  soon  found  him  to  be,  while  we  were 
room-mates.  He  has  an  awkward  figure  and  ungainly  manners, 
and  an  unelastic  and  croaking  sort  of  voice  ;  but  he  has  a  great 
heart  and  great  designs.  Ills  great  thoughts  in  advance  of  the  age 
are  not  like  the  dreams  of  a  man  who  is  in  a  fool's  paradise  ;  but 
they  are  judicious  and  wise.  He  was  the  founder  of  a  little  society 
at  "Williams  College,  who  were  in  the  habit  of  meeting  behind  a 
haystack  to  pray  the  work  of  missions  into  existence. 
Sincerely,  your  brother, 

T.    WOODBRIDGE. 

Happening  to  be  near  the  men  who  moved  the 
springs  of  great  religious  measures,  and  somewhat 


84  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

intimate  with  them,  I  had  an  opportunity  to  observe 
the  origin  and  incipient  progress  of  the  most  efficient 
missionary  association  which  exists  in  the  Protestant 
world.  In  the  latter  part  of  June,  1810,  the  Board 
of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions  was  created  by 
the  General  Association  that  met  at  Bradford.  I  was 
there  and  saw  this  Samson  in  its  cradle  :  I  say  Samson^ 
because,  though  small  in  its  beginnings,  this  work  of 
missions  we  regarded  as  a  "  true  thing,  and  a  true 
thing  is  apt  to  become  a  great  thing." 

Mr.  Worcester,  of  Salem,  and  Dr.  Spring,  of  New- 
buryport,  met  our  professors  at  the  house  of  Mr. 
Stuart,  to  talk  with  our  young  missionary  men  —  Mills, 
Gordon  Hall,  Judson,  and  Kichards.  At  the  close  of 
their  interview,  they  advised  these  young  men  to  go 
on  Tuesday  to  Bradford,  and  take  the  advice  of  their 
fathers  in  the  ministry.  Professor  Stuart,  who  talked 
with  me  freely  and  confidentially,  told  me  that  they 
were  very  much  pleased  with  the  humility,  earnest- 
ness, and  decision  of  the  young  men.  They  had 
thought  over  this  subject,  collected  all  the  missionary 
information  they  could,  and  prayed  over  it  a  great 
while.  I  went  to  Bradford  to  the  Association,  and 
saw  the  Board  formed. 

The  young  men  were  advised  not  to  abandon  their 
purpose  of  giving  their  lives  to  missionary  service, 
but  to  go  on,  earnestly  seeking  after  their  object,  and 
directing  their  studies  in  such  a  manner  as  to  get 
further  light.  Mills  seemed  to  me  to  be  the  beginner 
of  this  enterprise ;  but  very  likely  the  spirit  of  God 
turned  the  minds  of  several  others  contemporaneously 
to  this  momentous  project.  All  great  enterprises  begin 
silently,  in  the  secret  thoughts  and  private  conversa- 


A    BLIND    MINISTER.  85 

tions  of  a  fow  obscure  persons ;  they  prepare  the 
minds  of  others  by  their  conversations,  and  wlien  con- 
spicuous men  get  infected  with  their  zeal,  the  scheme 
is  brought  out  and  the  pubhc  gaze  at  it.  The  ostenta- 
tious actors  in  a  great  enterprise  get  the  renown  of  it, 
but  are  very  seldom  the  men  who  begin  the  work. 
Judson  was  a  man  of  a  high  grade  of  talent,  but  was 
self-relying  and  self-confiding.  I  thought  him  precipi- 
tant, and  a  man  who  must  be  the  leader  wherever  he 
was.  But  he  was  to  be  accompanied  by  wise  men ; 
and  as  I  had  no  doubt  of  his  piety  and  his  devotion  to 
his  work,  he  would,  I  presumed,  go  straight.  He 
seemed  to  me  to  have  a  slight  dash  of  self  conceit. 

After  this  missionary  development  among  us,  a  mis- 
sionary atmosphere  seemed  to  envelope  the  seminary, 
and  the  Spirit  of  God,  I  think,  was  evidently  operating 
upon  the  minds  of  many  there,  and  turning  them  to 
the  enlargement  of  the  boundaries  of  Zion's  King.  I 
was  so  deeply  impressed  with  the  importance  of  the 
missionary  enterprise  referred  to,  that  I  made  minutes 
of  these  things  in  my  journal  for  subsequent  reference. 

The  organization  of  the  American  Board  struck  a 
heavy  blow  in  the  cause  of  Foreign  Missions,  and  the 
wind  of  the  blow  shook  the  moral  elements  of  the 
country.  Every  weapon  of  irony  and  argument  was 
directed  against  the  new  institution.  Plausible  and  ten- 
der appeals  were  made  to  the  sensibilities  of  the  people, 
against  the  intrusion  of  Christianity  into  the  primeval 
regions  of  Oriental  idolatry.  The  East  was  repre- 
sented as  kindly  overshadowed  with  a  social  and 
religious  fabric,  which  had  been  intertwined  with  the 
system  of  life  for  many  generations.  But  the  public 
mind,  to  a  considerable  extent,  was  soon  disabused  of 
8 


86  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF 

these  misrepresentations.  The  clouds  were  dispersed 
and  the  light  began  to  appear.  These  Oriental  systems 
of  idolatry  were  thoroughly  investigated  ;  and  it  was 
found  that  they  had  blighted  and  withered  up  the 
people  who  were  victims  of  them,  and  sunk  them  to 
the  lowest  pitch  of  degradation  and  misery. 

When  these  dark  superstitions  were  opened  up  to 
the  world,  one  could  hardly  avoid  the  belief  that  they 
were  framed  and  shaped  out  in  their  main  features, 
and  in  their  details,  by  the  instigations  of  the  great 
adversary  of  mankind,  and  contrived  by  the  great 
enemy  of  human  happiness  and  virtue. 

When  the  fall  vacation  arrived,  I  went  to  my  home 
at  Stockbridge,  to  drink  once  more  the  pleasures  of 
domestic  life,  and  visit  again  my  native  scenes.  The 
memories  and  associations  connected  with  every  object 
around  me,  made  me  feel  that  I  could  see  a  hand  there 
which  others  could  not  see,  and  hear  a  voice  which 
others  could  not  hear.  I  was  received  with  enthu- 
siasm. My  friends  all  gathered  around  me  to  welcome 
my  return.  My  brother's  children,  who  loved  me  with 
tenderness,  climbed  over  me  and  hung  upon  my  knees. 
There  was  a  desire  in  Stockbridge  that  1  should 
preach  at  least  one  lecture ;  but,  being  an  orderly 
man,  I  considered  it  irregular  to  preach  before  I  was 
licensed. 

When  I  was  at  home  on  this  vacation,  I  endeavored 
to  perform  some  kind  labor  in  an  unostentatious  walk 
of  benevolence.  I  knew  there  was  a  drudgery  in 
benevolence,  quite  as  essential  as  its  more  splendid 
manifestations.  I  went  forth  to  seek  out  the  sick,  the 
distant,  the  poor,  and  the  neglected.  I  wanted  to  realize 
that  there  was  a  useful  and  humble  toil  in  tho  work  of 


A    BLIND    MINISTER.  87 

Christian  love,  and  that  its  labors  were  not  confined  to 
pulpit  and  platform  speaking.  I  was  received  in  my 
new  character,  by  the  families  I  visited,  with  afiec- 
tionate  kindness ;  and  I  learned,  I  believe,  more  than 
those  I  undertook  to  instruct.  These  humble  efforts 
were  very  refreshing,  and  they  gave  me  a  decided 
inclination  for  this  kind  of  work,  which  I  ceased  to 
look  upon  as  drudgery,  and  it  became  in  my  esteem 
an  exalted  form  of  kindness. 

There  was  an  intense  curiosity  felt  by  ministers,  and 
other  religious  people,  to  get  a  sort  of  inside  view  of 
Andover,  and  I  was  interrogated  very  minutely  in 
regard  to  our  whole  system  of  study,  opinion,  and  life. 
Some  yet  stood  in  doubt  in  regard  to  the  influences 
of  that  institution,  which  had  already  become  a  com- 
manding object  of  attention.  They  were  afraid  that 
although  its  beginnings  were  good,  its  progress  and 
end  might  not  prove  salutary  to  the  interests  of 
religion,  and  that  the  institution  might  finally  be  per- 
verted from  its  original  design,  and  be  turned  into  an 
effective  engine  of  heresy. 

The  eminent  Dr.  Hyde,  of  Lee,  felt  a  deep  interest 
in  the  matter,  and  inquired  of  me  minutely  about  it. 
I  here  insert  an  extract  of  a  letter  from  Professor 
Dewey,  at  Williams  College,  which  I  received  soon 
after  my  return  to  the  seminary,  which  will  show  the 
views  entertained  about  Andover  in  our  seats  of 
learning : 

Williams  College,  December  9, 1810. 

My  Vert  Dear  Friend,  —  I  expected  an  answer  to  my  letter  before 
this  time,  but,  as  I  do  not  stand  upon  punctilios  on  all  occasions, 
I  will  write  again.  Indeed,  situated  as  you  are  in  the  seat  of 
sacred  learning,  which  is  infinitely  important  —  twisted  and  twirled 


88  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF 

about  by  metaphysicians,  or  overwhelmed  by  a  flood  of  argu- 
ments fro  and  con  —  cut  up  and  pulled  to  pieces  by  critics,  or 
pursuing  your  object  through  thickets  of  ages  before  darkness  was 
succeeded  by  the  light  of  day  —  beholding  and  listening  to  streams 
and  torrents  of  eloquence,  or  cutting  channels  through  which  it 
may  flow  —  haunted,  perhaps,  by  the  bewitching  muses,  or  compelled 
to  taste  of  waters  fresh,  but  not  from  the  famed  fountains  at  which 
the  ancients  drank,  but  "  which  flowed  fast  by  the  oracle  of 
God  "  —  thus  situated,  if  such  be  your  delightful  situation,  I  must 
think  myself  fortunate  if  two  of  my  letters  be  repaid  by  one  of 
yours. 

I  have  no  news  to  tell  you  ;  for  news  we  cannot  have,  unless  we 
make  it  ourselves.  We  dwell  here  in  a  corner,  detached  from  the 
rest  of  the  world,  and  surrounded  by  a  belt  of  everlasting  moun- 
tains ;  and  the  most  charitable  apology  for  us  is,  that,  like  Hudibras, 
though  we  have 

"  Much  wit 
We  are  shy  of  showing  it." 

With  much  esteem,  your  friend, 

C.  Dewey. 

Our  second  year  was  mainly  occupied  in  the  de- 
partment of  systematic  theology,  under  the  instruc- 
tion of  Dr.  Woods.  This  was  to  me  a  very  interesting 
and  profitable  course  of  study.  Our  professor  ex- 
plored the  ground  far  and  wide,  and  dug  deep  for 
every  gem  of  truth  within  his  field.  We  also  had 
frequent  exercises  in  Dr.  Griffin's  department.  I  wrote 
my  first  sermon  that  winter,  committed  it  to  memory, 
and  recited  it,  as  our  custom  was  to  read  to  the 
professor  in  the  presence  of  the  class.  The  criticisms 
of  the  professor  and  students  were  absolutely  un- 
sparing ;  and  my  sermon,  on  which  I  had  bestowed 
a  good  deal  of  thought  and  labor,  was  not  raised 
greatly  in  my  esteem  by  the  ordeal  of  criticism  it  had 
passed  through.     We  were  required,  in  the  first  place. 


A    BLIND    MINISTER. 


89 


to  read  our  introduction  and  our  plan.     The  reading 
was  then  arrested  for  criticism. 

I  do  not  intend  to  encumber  this  volume  with  any 
of  my  sermons;  but  I  will  venture  here  to  insert 
the  introduction  and  plan  of  my  first  sermon,  which 
was  on  a  difficult  text,  and  one  that  required  maturity 
of  thought  beyond  my  age.  I  soon  made  better  se- 
lections of  subjects.     My  first  text  was, 

"  Love  not  the  world." 

It  is  an  old  remark,  and  one  which  has  grown  out  of  unvarying 
experience,  that  the  views  of  the  understanding  take  their  coloring 
from  the  feelings  of  the  heart.  This  is  particularly  observable  in 
respect  to  those  practical  views  which  we  every  day  form  of  the 
precepts  of  the  Bible.  As  we  cannot  quietly  endure  those  precepts 
in  all  their  length  and  breadth,  reaching  to  thought,  word,  and 
deed,  so,  in  forming  our  estimates  of  them,  we  fritter  away  much 
of  their  comprehensive  import,  that  we  ourselves  may  escape  their 
reach.  Thus,  when,  in  the  Scriptures,  we  hear  the  murderer  con- 
demned, overlooking  the  scarcely  discernible  causes  of  murder, 
which  perhaps  are  tainting  our  own  hearts,  we  figure  to  ourselves 
the  midnight  assassin  and  the  bloody  corse,  and  forget  that  he  who 
hateth  his  brother  is,  in  the  sight  of  God,  a  murderer.  In  like 
manner,  when  we  hear  the  covetous  man  condemned,  we  imagine 
some  solitary  miser,  who  rises  up  early  and  goes  late  to  rest,  eats 
the  bread  of  carefulnoss,  and  says  to  his  possessions,  "  Ye  are  my 
gods,"  forgetting  that  he  who  indulges  a  covetous  eye  is  himself  a 
worshipper  of  Mammon.  So,  when  we  hear  the  woes  of  Heaven 
denounced  against  the  idolater,  we  fancy  some  poor,  deluded  Pagan, 
bowing  down  and  muttering  his  orisons  to  images  of  wood  and 
stone,  and  overlook  the  solemn  truth  that  he  who  indulges  his  appe- 
tite to  excess  is  himself  an  idolater.  So,  in  regard  to  the  sin  for- 
bidden in  our  text,  we  take  some  excessive  form  of  it,  some  levia- 
than of  the  tribe  —  the  man,  for  instance,  who  openly  grasps  at 
the  world  as  his  portion,  who  sets  up  his  soul  to  sale  and  traffic  in 
damnation  ;  but  we  forget  that,  if  our  affections  are  not  supremely 
placed  on  things  above,  they  are  on  things  upon  the  earth  ;  and  we 


90  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OP 

contradict  the  grand  design  of  the  Scriptures,  which  is,  to  lift  our 
affections  from  earth  to  heaven ;  and  we  directly  transgress  the 
precept  of  our  text,  "  Love  not  the  world." 

In  prosecuting  this  subject,  I  design,  first,  to  describe  the  love 
of  the  world,  and,  secondly,  to  show  some  reasons  why  it  should  be 
abandoned. 

Dr.  Griffin  mixed  up  with  his  criticisms  some  warm 
and  extravagant  commendations;  but  I  was  so  dis- 
satisfied with  my  sermon^  that  I  instantly  burned  it 
up,  saving  the  introduction,  and  wrote  another,  and  a 
better  one,  on  the  same  subject.  If  it  was  not,  to  use 
the  figure  of  a  distinguished  divine,  "  a  great  basket 
of  dandeHons,"  the  style  was  too  florid,  and  I  simpli- 
fied it  very  much  in  the  second  edition. 

In  the  course  of  that  winter,  I  received  a  poHte  and 
afiectionate  note  from  Dr.  Kirkland,  President  of  Har- 
vard University,  inviting  me  to  come  and  spend  the 
college  vacation  at  his  house.  This  note  I  showed  to 
Dr.  Woods,  who  was  exceedingly  gratified,  and  ad- 
vised me  by  all  means  to  go.  I  met  Dr.  Kirkland,  by 
an  arrangement  concerted  between  us,  in  Boston.  He 
called  for  me  in  his  carriage,  and  took  me  to  his 
house,  which  was  a  noble  establishment.  He  was  a 
bachelor,  and  gave  me  very  much  of  his  time,  and 
assigned  me  a  convenient  room,  with  a  fire  in  it,  and 
a  servant  to  attend  me.  He  read  to  me  in  his  study 
considerable  portions  of  every  day,  and  made  two  or 
three  literary  dinners,  to  which  he  invited  the  pro- 
fessors of  the  university,  and  some  eminent  men  from 
Boston.  Dr.  K.  was  exceedingly  courteous,  kind,  and 
interesting,  and  my  visit  was  profitable  and  pleasing. 
After  remaining  about  a  week,  I  returned  to  the  semi- 
nary, and  entered  upon  my  studies,  with  refreshed 


A    BLIND    MINISTER.  91 

spirits  and  renewed  resolutions.  I  left  Dr.  Kirkland, 
with  a  high  idea  of  his  candor,  learning,  and  amiable- 
ness  of  temper. 

Dr.  Woods  was  curious  to  hear  an  account  of  my 
visit ;  and,  after  I  had  "  rendered  it  him,"  he  said,  "  Dr. 
Kirkland  is  a  man  of  most  excellent  abilities.  He  was 
a  tutor  when  I  was  in  college,  and  taught  me  logic  and 
metaphysics.  On  a  certain  public  occasion,  when  I 
happened  to  meet  him,  he  alluded  to  my  theological 
opinions,  and  said  he  was  surprised  that  I  had  gone 
astray  so  far.  I  said,  '  If  I  have  erred.  Dr.  Kirkland, 
it  is  you  who  made  me  err,  for  I  learned  the  art  of 
reasoning  from  you.' " 

I  cherish  the  most  sincere  respect  for  the  memory 
of  President  Kirkland. 

Divinity  College,  Feb.  20,  1811. 
H.  D.  Sedgwick,  Esq.  : 

My  very  dear  friend,  —  I  have  just  returned  from  Boston, 
where  I  spent  a  few  days,  and  mingled  a  good  deal  with  society.  I 
know  your  admiration  of  Boston,  and  I  feel  a  warm  sympathy  with 
you  on  this  subject.  Boston  is  the  noblest  place  in  our  land.  It 
has  a  dignified  and  impressive  history,  and  is  full  of  startling  and 
grand  associations.  A  succession  of  great  and  good  men  have  lived, 
flourished,  and  died  there.  There  was  Sam.  Adams,  John  Hancock, 
and  John  Adams ;  there,  too,  was  the  great  James  Otis,  whose 
history  was  so  touching.  His  eloquent  voice  shook  old  Massachu- 
setts to  the  centre,  and  daunted  the  British  oflBcers  so,  that,  in  a 
personal  onset  on  him,  they  struck  him  with  their  swords  over  his 
head,  and  brought  on  mental  aberration.  This  great  spirit  died  at 
a  house  within  sight  of  my  window.  He  was  standing  at  a  door  in  a 
thunder-storm,  when  a  flash  of  lightning  struck  him,  and  termi- 
nated his  glorious  life. 

I  have  always  heard  of  "  the  solid  men  of  Boston,"  but  the  half 
was  not  told  me.  The  men  of  Boston  are  an  amazingly  staid  and 
substantial  race.    There  is  among  them  great  energy,  but,  like 


92  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

real  energy  everywhere,  it  is  not  clamorous.  They  make  but  little 
noise  in  transacting  their  business.  They  present  the  noblest  form 
of  Yankeeism.  They  have,  in  full  measure,  the  Yankee  self-reli- 
ance ;  and  a  young  man,  starting  ofi'  to  seek  his  fortunes,  has  not  a 
doubt  of  his  success.  They  are  more  refined  than  Yankees  in  gen- 
eral, in  one  particular  —  they  have  not  all  of  them  a  question  at 
the  end  of  their  tongue.  The  society  of  our  metropolis  is,  I  sus- 
pect, considerably  in  advance  of  society  anywhere  else  in  our  coun- 
try ;  it  is  more  enlightened,  refined,  and  classic. 

Boston  puts  forth  a  mighty  influence  over  New  England,  and 
through  New  England  must  have  a  moulding  influence  over  the 
whole  land. 

Last  Sunday  I  went  to  Brattle-street  Church  and  heard  the  popu- 
lar and  admired  Buckminster.  He  is  running  a  most  brilliant 
career  in  Boston.  I  was  somewhat  fascinated  with  his  preaching. 
He  is  a  man  of  genius  and  exquisite  cultivation.  He  is  very 
learned,  and  promises,  if  God  spares  him,  to  be  one  of  the  most 
distinguished  literary,  if  not  theological,  lights  among  us.  He  has 
a  fine  ethereal  eloquence,  which  is  marked  with  great  simplicity.  His 
sermon  turned  upon  topics  of  a  controversial  nature,  and  he  treated 
those  topics  with  a  noble  and  subduing  candor.  I  have  heard  from 
some  of  his  friends,  and  it  makes  me  sad  to  hear  it,  that  Buck- 
minster has  had  a  few  epileptic  fits,  which  threaten  to  undermine 
his  intellect,  and  perhaps  terminate  his  life.  I  should  rejoice  to 
have  such  a  delightful  man  live.  His  name  is  conspicuously  mixed 
up  with  all  our  literary  enterprises.  He  is  independent  and  honest 
in  his  character,  and  is  a  most  devoted  friend  of  all  kinds  of  im- 
provement. May  God  spare  him  and  make  him  a  burning  and  a 
shining  light. 

Our  institution  is  very  flourishing,  and  I  am  satisfied  and  profited 
by  my  connection  with  so  efficient  and  useful  a  seminary, 

I  am,  with  continued  regard  and  deep  afiection,  your  friend, 

T.    WOODBRIDGE. 

While  I  was  connected  with  the  seminary  at  Ando- 
ver,  in  my  various  excursions,  I  became  acquainted 
with  most  of  the  remarkable  men  in  the  eastern  part 
of  Massachusetts.  In  one  of  my  visits  at  Boston, 
walking  with  my  friend  Sedgwick  one  day,  we  chanced 


A  BLIND  MINLSTER.  93 

on  Theophilus  Parsons,  the  Chief  Justice  of  the  Com- 
monwealth. He  was  regarded  as  the  ablest  and  most 
learned  lawyer  in  the  State.  As  we  met  upon  the 
sidewalk,  Mr.  Sedgwick  introduced  me  to  Judge 
Parsons,  who,  after  a  few  minutes'  conversation,  in- 
vited us  to  call  at  his  house  and  spend  the  evening. 
We  gladly  availed  ourselves  of  so  good  an  opportu- 
nity of  making  the  acquaintance  of  this  extraordinary 
man.  He  received  us  very  courteously,  and  illumi- 
nated the  evening  with  the  most  delightful  and  profit- 
able talk.  He  had  a  giant  mind,  which  seemed  to  be 
equally  acute,  comprehensive,  and  pliant.  He  ranged 
over  a  great  variety  of  subjects,  gave  his  views  of 
some  of  the  most  profound  writers,  and  had  his  little 
elegant  critiques  upon  the  last  publications. 

He  made  many  sagacious  suggestions  in  regard  to 
the  conduct  of  the  understanding  in  the  acquisition  of 
knowledge.  "  Now,"  said  he,  "  young  gentlemen,  I 
want  to  have  you  read  carefully,  if  you  have  not 
already  done  it,  the  great  works  of  the  master-builders 
of  the  temple  of  science.  Be  very  familiar  with  the 
works  of  Lord  Bacon.  They  have  an  expanding 
effect  upon  a  young  man's  mind,  and  make  him  think. 
I  hope  you  will  give  some  of  your  days  and  nights  to 
Milton's  works.  They  will  make  you  familiar  with  the 
fountains  of  the  purest  and  the  noblest  English,  and 
supply  you  with  words  and  phrases  full  of  magical 
association. 

"Barrow's  sermons  will  aid  you  in  the  free  use  of 
language,  and  in  the  art  of  expanding  any  subject  yon 
have  on  hand,  which  you  may  wish  to  spread  out. 
You,  I  dare  say,  write  a  great  deal,  but  I  would  recom- 
mend to   you   to  talk  as   well  as  write.      This   will 


94  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

make  you  ready  in  the  use  of  your  knowledge.  I 
hope  you  will  acquire  the  art  of  producing  yourselves  ; 
learn  the  talent  of  displaying  your  treasures.  If  you 
have  ever  so  much  knowledge  and  do  not  talk  it  out, 
it  will  do  nohody  any  good  but  yourselves.  No  man 
has  a  right  to  hide  his  talents  ;  he  must  lay  them  on 
the  altar  of  benevolence.  If  you  have  light,  arise 
and  shine.  Be  ready  to  converse  with  every  intelli- 
gent man  you  meet.  Such  conversation  will  refine 
your  ideas  and  make  them  definite,  and  teach  you  the 
extent  and  availability  of  your  knowledge.  A  rapid 
interchange  of  ideas  with  a  sensible  man  will  banish 
fog  from  your  minds." 

I  recollect  with  pleasure  my  interview  with  this 
great  man. 

I  find  on  my  files  a  number  of  letters  from  Cyrus 
Byington,  the  renowned  missionary,  who  has  for  many 
years  been  at  the  head  of  the  Choctaw  Mission.  I 
will  here  make  extracts  from  a  few  of  them,  which 
will  not  fail  to  interest  the  public,  as  Mr.  B.  is  an 
endeared  and  venerated  missionary.  This  letter  was 
written  previously  to  his  conversion;  but  it  illustrates 
his  simplicity  of  feeling  and  warmth  of  heart,  quali- 
ties which  he  has  displayed  throughout  all  his  mission- 
ary transactions  and  reports.  Mr.  Byington  was  at 
that  time  a  student  at  law  in  my  brother's  office,  and 
had  read  a  vast  deal  for  me.  He  was  a  rapid  and 
untiring  reader,  and  we  must  have  gone  over  many 
hundred  volumes  in  company  : 

Stockbridge,  September  13,  1811. 

My  Dear  Friend, — Your  letter  to  your  brother,  written  under 
the  tenderei^t  affection  for  your  delightful  home,   reached   us  on 


A  BLIND   MINISTER.  95 

Friday  last.  The  details  of  your  journey  were  very  interesting  to 
us  all ;  for  we  had  watched  each  passing  day  while  we  supposed  you 
was  directing  every  step  to  Andover,  and  even  congratulated  one 
another  with  the  pleasantness  of  the  weather  with  which  you  was 
favored.  But  every  turn  of  your  carriage-wheel  rolled  you  an 
additional  distance  from  all  your  friends  here,  and  that  made  us 
Bad.  You  very  kindly  promised  us  a  quick  succession  of  letters 
from  Andover,  which  promise  I  most  earnestly  hope  you  will  per- 
form. I  am  flattering  myself  that  I  may  receive  many  a  kind 
sentence  from  your  pen.  I  am  determined  to  write  you  often.  It 
is  a  duty  I  owe  from  as  strong  an  obligation  as  the  enjoyment  of 
social  happiness  and  the  improvement  of  the  head  and  heart  can 
lay  a  person  under  ;  for  whenever  I  turn  back  my  thoughts,  and 
reflect  upon  the  various  means  by  which,  under  the  kind  providence 
of  Heaven,  I  have  obtained  my  present  situation,  and  the  enjoyment 
of  so  many  privileges  as  have  fallen  to  my  peculiarly  favored  lot,  I 
recognize  your  hand  in  every  stage  ;  and  your  goodness  to  me  awa- 
kens in  my  bosom  the  warmest  emotions  of  gratitude  and  afieetion. 
Since  you  went  away,  I  have  been  reading  Dr.  Edwards'  three  ser- 
mons on  the  Atonement.  They  unfold  the  subject  to  my  view 
more  than  any  discussion  I  have  ever  read.  They  throw  a  light  on 
that  great  theological  topic,  like  the  efi'ulgence  of  the  sun.  I  never 
before  understood  the  necessity  of  the  grace  of  God  discovering 
itself  to  us  through  such  a  medium  as  the  obedience  and  sufi"ering3 
of  the  Son  of  God.     It  afibrded  me  both  pleasure  and  instruction. 

I  have  but  just  begun  the  course  of  reading,  and  I  hope  improve- 
ment, which,  by  your  advice,  I  marked  out  when  you  was  here. 
The  elevation  of  spirit  and  feeling  which  I  received  during  your 
visit  here,  still  remains.  I  now  feel  warmed  with  the  hope  and 
prospect  that  I  may  lay  up  some  useful  knowledge.  This  is  the 
only  knowledge  I  wish,  and  my  only  object.  With  what  shame  and 
confusion  of  spirit  should  I  render  an  account  to  my  great  Judge, 
if  I  were  to  spend  my  time  and  the  best  years  of  my  life  in  empty 
and  frivolous  pursuits? 

I  still  cherish  a  recollection  of  the  pleasures  I  enjoyed  in  reading  ^ 
with  you  Anacharsis'  Travels.     The  very  style  of  the  book  throws 
a  powerful  charm  over  every  scene  described  or  alluded  to,  which 
6cenes  are  as  solemn  and  afiecting  as  the  birth-place  of  learning, 
philosophy  and  the  fine  arts,  by  their  associations,  can  make  them. 


96  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

On  such  scenes  vre  always  turn  back  an  eye  half  dimmed  with  tears. 
Excuse  this  flow  of  feeling.  I  would  not  have  troubled  you  with 
it,  but  I  felt  a  deep  interest  in  all  those  subjects,  and  I  could  not  on 
this  occasion  restrain  the  ardor  of  my  feelings,  nor  on  any  other 
occasion  would  I  wish  to.  I  hope  you  will  bring  along  with  you, 
next  spring,  other  fresh  books,  which  we  may  read  during  your  stay 
with  us. 

I  rejoice  greatly  in  the  pleasant  state  of  feeling  which  you 
describe.  I  suspect  your  profession  contributes,  as  much  as  your 
place  in  the  seminary,  to  produce  a  serenity  and  calmness  of  soul. 
It  is  a  profession  that  has  more  rich  and  permanent  resources  of 
happiness  than  any  other  in  which  mortal  man  can  engage.  It 
aims  at  immense  good,  and  nothing  but  good.  I  could  forever  con- 
gratulate you  upon  this  subject,  but  it  would  be  unnecessary. 

The  good  news  I  have  heard  of  your  preaching  warms  my  soul  with 
delight.  It  cannot  fail  to  be  a  theme  of  sweet  contemplation  to 
you  and  to  your  friends,  who  hear  such  goodly  reports  about  you, 
and  a  powerful  incentive  to  continue  in  the  same  righteous  and 
acceptable  work. 

I  am  forever,  your  most  devoted  friend, 

Cyrus  Byington. 

The  next  letter  from  Mr.  Byington  from  whicli  I 
will  quote,  dated  some  time  after  the  above,  gives  an 
account  of  the  conversion  of  this  interesting  man. 
The  part  relating  to  that  subject  I  will  here  extract : 

Stockbkidge,  February  5,  1813. 

My  Very  Dear  Friend,  —  I  have  almost  despaired  of  ever  hear- 
ing from  you  again  in  the  shape  of  a  letter.  I  have  often  called  at 
the  post-office,  and  waited  a  long  and  dreary  while  for  some  few 
words  from  your  kind  pen.  It  has,  my  dear  friend,  cost  me  no 
slight  effort  to  remain  so  long  silent.  It  has  been  a  time  with  me 
when  I  needed,  and  when  I  should  rejoice  to  have  had  ample  and 
frequent  conversations  with  you. 

In  my  last  letter,  I  gave  you  a  very  hasty  and  imperfect  view 
of  the  condition  of  my  soul.  I  wish  I  could  pour  out  into  your 
bosom  more  of  the  feelings  and  affections  that  now  sway  my  con- 


A  BLIND  MINISTER.  97 

duct ;  for  I  could  listen  to  counsel  and  directions  with  more  spirit- 
ual advantage  than  ever  before.  But  in  this  letter  I  cannot  fully 
divulge  the  secrets  of  my  bosom.  I  cannot  open  to  you  my  moral 
constitution  in  all  its  extent  and  variety  ;  not,  however,  because  I 
have  not  a  disposition,  nor  because  of  a  fear  of  failing  to  give  you 
a  tolerable  history  of  them,  but  because  my  paper  must  necessarily 
be  devoted  in  part  to  other  subjects.  Suffice  it,  however,  to  say 
that  I  have  been  blessed,  through  the  manifold  riches  of  God's 
mercy,  with  delightful  and  joyous  views  of  his  character  and  his 
righteousness,  and  have,  as  I  trust,  seen  the  horrible  wickedness 
and  deceitfulness  of  my  own  heart,  for  which  let  us  bless  his  holy 
name  forevermore.  And  I  do  also  humbly  hope  that  I  have  found 
access  to  him  through  the  glorious  name  of  the  Redeemer.  But  I 
cannot  say  my  salvation  is  sure.  I  find  vast  benefit  from  spreading 
my  case  out  before  some  experienced  Christian  ;  but  I  have  not  been 
able  to  open  myself  so  entirely  to  their  view  as  I  could  to  you.  I 
have  determined  to  speak  and  think  doubtfully  of  myself  till  I  can 
see  you,  who  have  always  had  so  much  intercourse  with  me  that  you 
would  easily  detect  a  deception  in  my  opinion  of  myself,  should  I 
be  the  unhappy  victim  of  a  mistake  in  so  great  a  matter. 

I  anxiously  await  your  return,  and  hope  you  will  not  turn  your 
fiice  in  a  difi'erent  direction.  I  hope  you  will  come  with  a  trunk 
full  of  manuscripts  and  sermons,  so  that  you  will  be  able  to  preach 
as  often  and  as  many  times  as  the  people  here  will  demand,  and  you 
may  rely  upon  being  hard  pressed  on  this  subject. 

This  town  has  been  visited  in  a  most  striking  manner  by  the 
grace  of  God.  It  has  been  visited  by  no  less  a  being  than  He  who 
"  humbleth  himself  to  behold  the  things  that  are  in  heaven." 

You  have  no  doubt  received  as  particular  information  about  the 
mercies  that  have  descended  upon  us,  as  could  be  given  you  while 
absent  from  us.  But  I  am  very  apprehensive  that  the  Holy  Spirit 
is  gradually  withdrawing  from  this  community.  He  may  return 
with  blessings,  compared  with  which  those  we  have  received  are  like 
the  few  stars  which  we  can  see  twinkling  at  twilight,  compared  with 
the  immense  constellations  that  deck  the  vaulted  sky  at  midnight's 
solemn  hour. 

I  hope  no  disciple  of  our  Saviour,  in  whose  ear  the  voice  of  God's 
mercy  to  this  town  has  sounded,  will  cease  to  implore  the  continu- 
ance of  it.     These  mercies  are,  no  doubt,  dispensed  in  answer  to  the 


98  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  A  BLIND   MINISTER. 

prayers  which  have  been  offered  up  by  hearts  that  have  ceased  to 
beat,  and  by  those  Christians  vy^ho  now  breathe  the  air  of  heaven. 
We  have  the  greatest  encouragement  to  seek  the  favor  and  blessing 
of  our  Heavenly  Father.     These  ascend  in  answer  to  prayer. 

My  dear  friend,  I  pray  you  never  to  fail  in  this  duty  ;  and  re- 
member me,  who  am  but  a  child,  and  exposed  to  the  wiles  and 
intrigues  of  the  Adversary,  and  who  has  not  seen  half  the  wicked- 
ness that  pollutes  his  heart.  I  know  you  will  pray  for  me,  and 
bend  your  steps  hither  as  quickly  as  Providence  shall  open  the 
way. 

Adieu,  my  dearest  friend. 

Cyrus  "RriNGTOx. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

EARLY  STAGES   OF  MY  PROFESSION. 

Licensed  to  Preach.  —  Preaching  in  Boston.  —  Letters  from  Amos  Law- 
rence. —  Letter  from  Rev.  Mr.  Durfee.  —  Return  to  AnJover.  — 
Course  of  Reading.  —  Barrow's  Sermons.  —  Letter  from  Cyrus  By- 
ington. 

In  August,  1811, 1  was  licensed  to  preach  the  gos- 
pel by  the  Andover  Association.  I  had  been  in  the 
Seminary  only  about  a  year  and  a  half,  and  this  meas- 
ure seemed  to  me  premature.  I  consented  to  it  in 
compliance  with  the  earnest  solicitations  of  Professor 
Stuart.  He  told  me  that  I  ought  to  put  on  the  pano- 
ply of  a  preacher  without  delay,  that  calls  were  thick- 
ening upon  the  Seminary  for  preaching,  and  that  there 
were  but  very  few  resident  preachers.  He  said  that 
I  should  improve  faster  by  preaching  often,  and  that 
I  might  stay  in  the  institution  as  long  as  I  pleased. 
His  pressure  was  so  earnest  that  I  yielded  to  it,  and 
was  introduced  by  him  to  the  Association  at  their 
stated  meeting.  This  body  of  ministers  was  a  hete- 
rogeneous assemblage  in  regard  to  matters  of  faith. 
It  was  composed  of  the  Orthodox  and  the  Liberal. 
Its  faith  ranged  from  Calvinism  down  through  Armin- 
ianism  to  the  extremest  Unitarianism. 

After  I  had  read  my  trial  sermon,  which  I  did  from 
memory,  two  or  three  venerable  ministers  proposed 
to  proceed  to  examine  me  in  regard  to  my  acquaint- 
ance with  experimental  religion,  and  my  views  in 

(99) 


100  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OP 

seeking  the  ministry.  Several  voices  objected,  and 
said,  "  What !  will  you  make  a  man  tell  how  good  he 
is?"  It  was  finally  ruled  that  a  brief  examination 
should  be  given.  My  examination  was  sustained  at 
once,  and  I  had  a  license  put  into  my  hands.  There 
were  some  eminent  men  in  that  Association ;  men  sound 
in  the  faith,  and  faithful  and  devoted  ministers. 

In  a  letter  to  Mrs.  Lester,  of  July  13,  1811, 1  find 
the  following  paragraph  in  reference  to  the  license  in 
prospect : 

I  expect  to  be  licensed  in  three  or  four  weeks.  I  look  forward 
with  awe  to  the  undertaking.  I  want  to  feel  a  more  simple  and 
unqualified  reliance  on  Christ.  A  preacher  of  his  religion,  above 
all  men,  ought  to  be  deeply  imbued  with  its  spirit.  May  his 
strength  be  made  perfect  in  my  weakness,  and  may  his  Spirit  in- 
scribe upon  my  heart  this  glorious  promise,  "  Surely  I  will  go  with 
you." 

The  Sabbath  after  my  license,  I  preached  my  first 
sermon  in  Beverly.  My  congregation  was  immense, 
and  I  felt  very  anxious  for  success.  In  this  first  eff'ort, 
I  fear  I  was  too  much  swayed  by  anxiety  for  personal 
success,  and  not  simply  concerned  for  the  spiritual 
effect  of  my  preaching.  But  I  soon  surmounted  this 
feeling  of  anxiety  ;  and  a  little  practice  put  me  on  a 
level  in  regard  to  my  feelings  with  other  ministers. 
In  the  succeeding  week,  I  received  two  letters  from 
Boston,  requesting  me  to  preach  there  on  the  following 
Sabbath.  One  was  from  Dr.  Channing,  who  was  at 
that  time  considered  the  master-spirit  of  the  city. 
The  other  was  from  Mr.  Huntington,  pastor  of  the  Old 
South. 

I  preached  in  the  morning  for  Dr.  Channing,  and 
was  received  with  great  acceptance ;  and  some  won- 


A   BLIND   MINISTER.  101 

dered  whence  I  came.  When  my  friend,  Mr.  Sedgwick, 
mentioned  to  several  inquirers  that  I  was  from  Ando- 
ver,  it  was  flatly  denied.  They  had  never  seen  or 
heard  a  preacher  from  Andover  before.  They  had  a 
prejudice  against  that  institution,  on  account  of  its 
orthodoxy,  and  supposed  it  must  be  barbarous  in 
style  and  manner.  No  such  preacher,  said  they,  ever 
came  out  of  Andover. 

From  the  first  loss  of  my  sight,  I  had  bestowed  some 
pains  upon  my  attitudes  and  movements,  that  I  might 
avoid  any  awkwardness  which  might  spring  from 
blindness.  I  gave  attention  to  the  disposition  of  my 
limbs,  and  hands  especially,  that  I  might  be  as  grace- 
ful in  my  attitudes  and  gestures  as  possible.  I  have 
often  preached  in  congregations,  particularly  in  cities, 
where  I  happened  to  be  a  stranger,  without  the  least 
suspicion  of  my  blindness.  After  preaching  three 
sermons  in  the  city  of  Hartford  one  Sabbath  day,  I 
went  into  a  barber's  shop  on  Monday  morning,  when  a 
gentleman  of  dignified  and  refined  bearing  approached 
me,  and  told  me  that  he  had  the  pleasure  of  hearing 
me  preach  three  sermons  yesterday,  and  that  some 
persons  told  him  I  could  not  see  ;  but  he  did  not 
believe  their  assertions ;  and  asked  me  whether  I  would 
be  kind  enough  to  tell  him  whether  my  sight  was 
affected.  I  stated  the  fact,  and  ho  expressed  great 
amazement,  and  told  me  ho  should  not  have  believed 
it  but  upon  my  own  declaration.  He  then  announced 
himself  to  me  as  James  Hillhouse,  of  New  Haven. 
He  was  at  that  time  Senator  in  the  Congress  of  the 
United  States. 

To  return  to  Boston .  After  preaching  in  the  morn- 
ing for  Dr.  Channing,  I  preached  in  the  afternoon  at 
9» 


102  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

the  Old  South.  These  two  sermons  resulted,  imme- 
diately and  ultimately,  in  considerable  pecuniary  or 
material  benefit  to  me.  Hon.  Amos  Lawrence,  the 
good  merchant,  heard  from  some  of  Dr.  Channing's 
congregation  that  I  was  going  to  preach  in  the  Old 
South  in  the  afternoon,  and  attended.  He  remem- 
bered through  life  that  sermon  ;  and,  many  years  after, 
he  wrote  to  me,  referring  to  the  subject. 

I  will  here  make  a  few  extracts  from  the  letters  of 
Mr.  Lawrence,  which  are  quite  characteristic  of  that 
extraordinary  man : 

Boston,  January  9,  1848. 

Reverend  and  Much  Respected  Sir, — More  than  thirty  years 
ago,  I  remember  attending  service  in  the  Old  South,  then  under  the 
pastoral  care  of  the  Rev.  Joshua  Huntington,  and  of  hearing  and 
seeing  you.  Your  sermon  was  full  of  unction  and  life,  as  were  all 
the  services  ;  and,  from  that  time,  I  have  never  lost  sight  of  you  en- 
tirely. My  friend.  President  Hopkins,  a  few  years  since,  gave  me  a 
most  particular  account  of  you.  I  send  you,  enclosed,  fifty  dollars, 
and  wish  you  to  feel  under  no  obligation  to  me  ;  for  I  am  the 
obliged  party.  When  you  come  to  Boston,  I  shall  be  pleased  to 
see  you  once  more.  I  believe  I  have  never  seen  you  except  when 
you  preached  in  the  Old  South. 

I  do  not  go  from  home  so  far  as  to  make  it  probable  I  shall  ever 
see  you,  unless  it  is  at  my  own  house.  I  now  have  only  time  to 
assure  you  of  my  continued  respectful  regards. 

Amos  La-wrence. 

Boston,  February  20,  1848. 

Reverend  and  Dear  Sir,  —  Your  deeply  interesting  letter 
reached  me  in  due  time.  I  have  recently  been  called  back  to  life 
from  temporary  suspension  ;  and  I  have  often  asked  myself,  "  For 
what  purpose  am  I  recalled ?  "  I  can  only  assure  you,  that  I  feel 
truly  thankful  to  have  been  able  to  minister  in  any  way  to  your 
comfort  and  your  usefulness.    More  than  thirty  years  ago,  I  remem- 


A  BLIND   MINISTER.  103 

ber  attending  your  service  at  Old  South,  where  I  heard  you  preach. 
Since  then,  I  have  only  novr  and  then  had  you  brought  back,  until 
our  friend,  President  Hopkins,  told  me  of  your  relations  to  the 
college,  his  own  early  experience,  and  your  labors  and  teachings, 
and  the  quiet  way  you  are  in  heavenward.  We  have  had  a  visit 
from  him  the  last  week.  This  seems  a  foretaste  of  that  pure  pleas- 
ure we  hope  and  pray  for,  when  called  from  this  world,  if,  through 
mercy,  we  are  admitted  to  the  society  of  the  faithful  who  have 
passed  on.  You  will,  doubtless,  hear  from  our  friend  Hopkins  soon, 
if  you  have  not  already  ;  and  the  odds  and  ends  and  items  in  the 
bundle,  you  and  Mrs.  Woodbridgc  will  oblige  us  by  applying  in  the 
way  most  agreeable  to  yourselves.  I  am  good  at  castle-building, 
and  venture  the  hope  that  I  may  see  Mrs.  Woodbridge  and  your- 
self in  Boston  in  the  present  year.  I  am  a  minute  man,  as  you 
are  aware.  I  live  fast,  as  my  minutes  are  prolonged.  No  man  has 
more  blessings  to  be  thankful  for  to  our  merciful  Father  than  I 
have.  May  we  meet  in  Heaven,  if  we  do  not  on  earth. 
Respectfully  yours, 

Amos  Lawrence. 

Boston,  January  14,  1851. 

Reverend  and  Dear  Sir,  —  Your  letter  of  last  week  reached  me 
on  Saturday,  and  was  indeed  to  me  a  sunbeam.  I  sent  a  parcel  to 
you  on  Saturday,  by  railroad,  and  I  trust  you  will  have  received  it 
before  this  reaches  you.  The  bundle  is  made  up  of  such  things  as  I 
deemed  to  be  useful  in  your  family  ;  and  I  shall  be  more  than  paid 
if  they  add  one  tint  to  the  purple  light  that  opens  upon  your  fur- 
ther hopes  of  visiting  us  the  coming  season.  For  many  months  I 
was  unable  to  stand  up  and  walk,  but  am  now  somewhat  in  the 
condition  of  the  poor  cripple  at  the  gate  of  the  temple,  when  his 
*'  feet  and  ancle  bones  received  strength,  and  he  stood  up  and  walked  ; 
and  he  entered  into  the  temple  walking,  and  leaping,  and  praising 
God."  I  feel  that  the  prayers  of  friends  have  been  answered  by  my 
renewed  powers  to  do  more  work.  How,  then,  can  I  enjoy  life  bet- 
ter than  by  distributing  the  good  things  entrusted  to  me  among 
those  who  are  comforted  by  receiving  them.  So,  my  friends,  you 
need  not  feel  that  you  are  any  more  obliged  than  I  am. 

The  enclosed  bank-bill  may  serve  to  fit  up  the  parcel  for  use ;  at 
any  rate,  it  will  not  be  out  of  place  in  your  pocket 


104  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

I  wrote  to  our  friend  Hopkins,  a  few  days  since,  giving  him  a 
picture  of  the  closing  of  the  old,  and  the  opening  of  the  new  year, 
and  hope  soon  to  receive  his  answer.  I  trust  I  may  see  you  again 
in  this  world,  which  has  to  me  so  many  connecting  links  between 
the  first  and  only  time  I  ever  saw  you,  thirty-five  years  or  more  ago, 
in  the  pulpit  of  the  Old  South,  and  the  present  time. 

I  have  everything  that  a  man  here  can  have  to  make  life  pleas- 
ant, and  should  rejoice  to  introduce  you  to  the  dear  ones  around 
me  —  two  sons,  two  brothers,  eleven  grandchildren,  and  charming 
daughters-in-law. 

I  must  close  my  letter,  as  my  man  is  waiting  to  take  it  to  the  Post- 
office.  So  farewell,  with  affectionate  regards  to  your  own  dear 
ones,  in  which  wife  joins. 

Amos  Lawrence. 

The  following  letter,  though  of  an  earlier  date  than 
the  above,  may  as  well  be  inserted  here  as  elsewhere : 

Boston,  December  4, 1812. 

Reverend  and  Vert  Dear  Sir,  —  I  have  just  tied  up  a  bundle  of 
odds  and  ends,  which  I  shall  send  by  express.  They  are  of  my  own 
spinning,  and  may  amuse  you  from  this  circumstance.  The  articles 
for  ladies'  use,  I  am  quite  sure  Mrs.  Woodbridge  will  oblige  me  by 
using  in  any  way  most  agreeable  to  herself.  The  sermon,  by  my 
friend  Lothrop,  on  the  death  of  my  brother  William,  may  have  an 
interest  for  you  both.  The  changes  of  the  few  days  preceding  his 
death  are  constant  preachers  to  me.  I  am  left  here,  unexpectedly, 
to  do  something  more,  while  my  brother,  who  lived  next  door,  is 
taken.  My  brother-in-law,  Jeremiah  Mason,  who  lived  the  fourth 
door  from  me,  was  taken  away  the  same  day,  and  the  Sabbath-day 
before  was  as  well  as  usual,  and  rode  and  drove  his  own  horse  ten 
miles  on  Monday  :  —  never  was  sick  since  he  was  a  child,  before  this 
last  sickness,  so  as  to  be  confined  to  his  bed  a  single  day,  and  never 
had  a  funeral  from  his  house  for  fifty  years,  although  he  had  buried 
two  sons,  who  died  away  from  their  father's  house.  Here  I  am^ 
and  for  what,  unless  to  help  such  good  people  as  yourselves? 

My  best  love  to  all  the  dear  ones  at  the  manse. 
Faithfully  yours, 

Amos  Lawrence. 


A  BLIND  MINISTER.  105 

The  doatli  of  Mr.  Lawrence,  my  most  efficient  friend, 
was  announced  to  me  while  I  was  dictating  a  letter  to 
bim.  He  was  a  most  extraordinary  man.  He  had  a 
high  capacity  for  business,  great  energy;  and  his  path, 
which  was  long,  was  radiant  with  beneficence.  Of  his 
kind  feelings  towards  me  I  was  entirely  ignorant ;  in- 
deed, I  was  not  aware  of  the  fact  that  I  was  known 
to  him  at  all,  till  his  friendship  manifested  itself  in  a 
letter  I  most  unexpectedly  received  from  him,  more 
than  thirty  years  after  he  heard  me  preach.  His  noble 
friendship  glowed  upon  me,  for  the  four  or  five  last 
years  of  his  life,  with  the  most  intense  affection;  and 
the  rich  well  of  his  benevolence  gushed  up  in  a  bright 
wave,  and  scattered  verdure  and  fertility  around  me. 

Perhaps  I  may  as  well,  in  this  connection  as  any 
other,  make  a  few  extracts  from  a  letter  from  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Durfee,  a  minister  of  Dedham,  particularly 
as  this  letter  contains  a  number  of  references  to  Mr. 
Lawrence.  The  reader  may  be  amused  to  see  the 
earnestness  of  this  antiquarian  in  quest  of  autographs 
and  old  papers.  Antiquarians  seem  to  be  multiplying 
in  our  country  ;  and  they  have  an  instinct  in  regard 
to  places  where  they  may  push  their  inquiries.  It  has 
been  somewhat  widely  known  that  I  have  a  good 
many  antique  papers  and  autographs ;  and  these  curi- 
ous, though  generally  amiable,  men  pounce  upon  me 
like  so  many  vultures.  It  is  really  a  difficult  task  to 
retain  possession  of  old  papers. 

South  Dedham,  February  10, 1850. 
Rev.  Dr.  "Woodbribge  : 

My  Very  Dear  Sir,  —  I  called  the  other  day  on  our  mu- 
tual friend,  Hon.  Amos  Lawrence,  who  showed  me  a  letter  he  had 
recived  from  my  early  and  valued  friend,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Woodbridge, 


106  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

of  Spencertown.  You  cannot  imagine  with  what  lively  interest 
and  delight  Mrs.  Durfee  and  myself  read  this  letter. 

In  your  letter,  in  answer  to  what  Mr.  Lawrence  says  of  himself 
as  a  "  minute  man,"  you  strikingly  add,  "  you  pray  that  he  may 
long  be  in  that  situation  before  the  Great  Captain  shall  call 
for  him."  Will  you  excuse  me  if  I  make  a  quotation  from  my 
daughter's  letter  to  Mr.  Lawrence,  in  which  she  attempted  to 
expand  this  idea  a  little.     My  daughter  says  : 

"  I  have  often  heard  my  father  say  that  you  considered  yourself 
a  minute  man.  Sir,  we  all  know  that  you  had  long  since  enlisted 
under  the  banner  of  the  Captain  of  Salvation ;  and  we  all  join 
heartily  in  the  prayer  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Woodbridge,  that  it  may  be 
long  before  you  are  called  from  your  present  post  of  duty  and 
usefulness  to  that  higher  service  in  heaven,  for  which  you  are  so 
evidently  being  prepared  by  a  wise  course  of  discipline  on  earth." 

I  have  a  somewhat  extensive  collection  of  autographs,  and  I  want 
exceedingly  you  should  aid  me  in  this  matter.  Concerning  Pro- 
fessor Olds,  I  want  to  obtain  some  statistical  information.  When 
and  where  was  he  born  ?  I  beg  to  know  if  you  will  not  give  me 
one  of  his  letters,  to  preserve  as  an  autograph.  I  have  never  been 
able  to  obtain  one.  When  you  write  me  respecting  your  intended 
visit,  will  you  enclose  one  in  your  letter?  I  shall  value  it 
highly. 

Should  we  be  permitted  to  see  each  other  this  spring,  you  must 
be  prepared  to  let  patience  have  her  perfect  work ;  for  I  can  assure 
you,  my  dear  sir,  I  shall  want  to  tax  you  largely  for  information 
respecting  the  early  graduates  of  our  college. 

I  shall  hope  to  make  a  valuable  addition  to  my  present  stock  of 
knowledge  respecting  them.  I  beg  to  inquire  whether  you  have 
not  in  your  possession  some  of  the  early  catalogues  of  Williams 
College  ?  Do  give  your  old  pamphlets  a  thorough  overhauling. 
Every  old  catalogue,  or  pamphlet,  that  you  have  to  spare  will  be 
valued. 

I  am  sure,  my  dear  sir,  that  you  could  make  a  larger  addition  to 
my  collection  of  autographs  than  any  other  man.  Will  you  not 
see  what  you  can  do  for  me  in  this  respect?  My  collection  I  intend 
shall  be  ultimately  deposited  in  the  college  library.  For  this  reason , 
I  can  ask  you  with  the  greater  freedom  to  aid  me,  presuming  that 
you  feel  not  a  little  indebted  to  the  college  for  an  honorary  degree 


A  BLIND   MINISTER.  107 

of  D.  D.,  such  as  but  few  can  ever  expect  to  receive.  For  myself, 
I  should  just  about  as  soon  think  of  being  President  of  the  United 
States  as  to  obtain  so  high  a  degree  from  a  college  which  is  so  ex~ 
ceedingly  chary  in  the  bestowal  of  its  literary  honors.  But,  in  your 
case,  I  rejoice  it  was  conferred  on  one  who,  by  the  unanimous  voice 
of  the  community,  ought  to  receive  it. 

I  suppose  I  must  not  entertain  the  idea  for  a  moment  that,  when 
you  come  to  Boston,  you  will  pass  a  Sabbath  with  me.  I  should 
be  delighted  to  have  you  do  so  ;  but,  if  that  is  out  of  the  question, 
I  will  be  thankful  for  a  visit,  which  Mrs.  Durfee  and  myself  can- 
not consent  to  have  less  than  two  nights.  You  will  wish  to  hear 
particulars  respecting  the  life  and  sickness  and  death  of  her 
father,  Mr.  Pierce.  I  shall  want  to  have  you  examine  some  of  my 
antiquarian  treasures. 

I  have  an  autobiography  of  Mr.  Lawrence,  covering  six  pages, 
finely  written. 

And  now,  dear  sir,  last,  though  not  least,  let  me  speak  of  your 
kind  letter.  It  would  be  utterly  impossible  for  me  to  describe  the 
pleasure  which  your  letter  afforded  me  and  my  dear  wife  and 
daughter. 

From  the  buoyancy  of  feeling,  and  the  fresh  and  glowing  style 
in  which  it  is  written,  I  should  not  suppose  you  were  a  year  older 
than  when  we  were  in  the  habit  of  meeting  semi-annually  in  our 
presbytery.  I  rejoice  that  it  is  so  well  with  you,  I  rejoice  that 
you  are  living  under  the  smiles  and  blessings  of  God's  good  provi- 
dence. I  think  I  can  say  with  the  apostle,  *'  I  thank  my  God,  on 
every  remembrance  of  you."  I  beg  a  kind  remembrance  to  Mrs. 
Woodbridge,  in  which  Mrs.  Durfee  most  heartily  joins  me.  Mrs. 
Durfee  is  anticipating,  with  lively  interest,  the  opportunity  to  re- 
new her  former  acquaintance  with  you,  and  it  will  afford  our 
daughter  the  highest  pleasure  to  make  your  acquaintance. 

With  much  regard,  I  am  very  sincerely  yours, 

Calvin  Durfee. 

To  return,  after  this  long  digression,  to  my  first  visit 
at  Boston  as  a  preacher : 

Monday  morning,  Hon.  Jonathan  PhiUips  called  on 
me  from  his  father,  Lieutenant-Governor  Phillips,  and 
handed   me  thirty  dollars.     It  was  a  drenching  morn- 


108  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF 

ing,  and  the  rain  poured  down  in  torrents  ;  but,  not- 
withstanding the  rain,  I  heard  some  one  knocking  at 
my  door,  which  I  opened,  and  found  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Channing,  who  remained  an  hour  or  two  with  me,  in 
the  most  interesting  conversation ;  and  on  leaving,  put 
thirty  dollars  into  my  hands,  from  a  member  of  his 
congregation,  who  wished  his  name  concealed,  as  a 
small  token  of  his  high  appreciation  of  my  most  edify- 
ing preaching. 

I  continued  to  preach  in  the  large  towns  along  the 
coast,  till  the  summer  session  was  ended,  when  I  again 
repaired  to  my  home.  I  now  felt  desirous  of  a  breath- 
ing spell,  and  concluded  to  remain  at  Stockbridge 
during  the  winter,  where  I  had  great  facilities  for 
study.  I  preached  several  times  in  my  native  town, 
and  had  frequent  applications,  from  neighboring  minis- 
ters, to  come  and  preach  in  their  pulpits.  I  responded 
to  as  many  of  these  applications  as  I  conveniently  and 
consistently  could.  During  this  winter,  I  composed 
and  wrote,  by  the  hand  of  Mr.  Byington,  a  considerable 
number  of  sermons,  which  helped  me  on  very  much 
in  the  business  of  preaching. 

In  the  spring,  I  returned  to  Andover  Seminary,  a 
place  which  was  endeared  to  me  by  a  thousand  obli- 
gations, and  a  thousand  hallowed  memories;  and  I 
addressed  myself  to  study  with  augmented  resolution 
and  success.  This  was  the  most  profitable  period  of 
my  preparation  for  the  ministry.  I  read  with  diligence 
the  critical  writers  upon  the  text  of  the  Old  and  the 
New  Testaments.  I  drank  deeper  than  before  from 
the  fountains  of  Greek  and  Hebrew  literature. 

Besides  these  careful  studies  of  the  original  text,  I 
read,  somewhat  extensively,  the  old  divines.     I  read 


A  BLIND   MINISTER.  109 

the  works  of  Hooker,  who  has  obtained  the  soubriquet 
of  the  Judicious.  I  read  also  some  of  the  divines  of 
the  Elizabethan  age.  Charnock,  Howe,  and  Bates, 
divines  of  a  later  period,  I  examined  with  great  care 
and  edification.  It  is  common  with  writers  of  popular 
literature,  to  speak  of  this  whole  class  of  books  as  be- 
ing tedious;  but  I  found  them  exceedingly  interesting 
and  profitable.  Howe's  works  were  pre-eminently  so, 
and  I  commend  them  with  great  earnestness  to  the 
careful  study  of  all  young  ministers.  I  dipped  also 
pretty  deeply  into  the  works  of  John  Owen,  that  con- 
spicuous light  of  the  Protestant  Church ;  but  I  cannot 
say  that  I  found  them  as  useful  to  me  as  the  works  of 
some  other  divines  of  that  period.  Owen  was  un- 
doubtedly a  great  and  holy  man,  and  some  of  his 
expositions  upon  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  are 
unrivalled  for  depth  and  acuteness.  One  diflSculty 
with  Owen  is,  that,  upon  a  verse  which  he  should  only 
explain,  he  sometimes  spreads  himself  out  into  an 
acute  development  of  a  system  of  divinity. 

I  read  Barrow's  Sermons,  at  this  time,  with  high 
gratification  and  advantage.  He  is  an  evangelical 
Arminian  in  matters  of  doctrine ;  but  he  does  not 
keep  a  tenacious  hold  of  his  theory,  and  often  aban- 
dons himself  to  a  free  and  scriptural  development  of  a 
great  evangelical  topic.  "  Barrow's  Sermons,"  says 
Lord  Chatham,  "  are  a  mine  of  nervous  thought  and 
eloquent  expressions."  Charles  II.,  who  said  a  great 
many  smart  and  good  things,  if  he  did  a  great  many 
fooHsh  and  bad  things,  after  hearing  Barrow  preach, 
said :  "  This  great  man  is  an  unfair  preacher.  When 
he  takes  up  a  subject,  he  exhausts  it.  He  does  not 
leave  a   gleaning  behind   him   for  any  other  man.'-' 

10 


110  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

There  is  in   Barrow's   Sermons  vast  expansion,  and 
sometimes  diffuseness. 

I  have  often  thought  that  he  would  have  been  as 
much  astonished  at  the  conciseness  of  David  Hume, 
in  his  Essays,  as  Hume  ought  to  have  been  at  the 
magnificence  of  the  moral  imagination  of  Barrow. 
I  would  recommend  Barrow's  Sermons  to  the  perusal, 
night  and  day,  of  any  man  who  aspires  to  eloquence. 
Daniel  Webster,  I  perceive,  made  him  his  favorite 
author,  and  devoted  many  hours  every  year  to  his 
sermons.  I  was  once  inquired  of,  by  one  of  our  dis- 
tinguished ambassadors  to  a  foreign  court,  what 
sermons  I  thought  on  the  whole,  were  the  best  in  our 
language.  I  replied  to  him,  that,  in  my  judgment, 
Barrow's  Sermons  were  the  best  compositions  in  that 
department.  "  The  chief  part  of  the  glory  of  a  na- 
tion," says  Johnson,  "  consists  in  the  fame  of  her 
authors,  and  the  riches,"  continues  he,  "  of  our  lan- 
guage are  chiefly  to  be  found  in  the  works  of  our 
divines." 

During  the  summer  under  review,  I  went  over  a 
great  deal  of  Church  History.  The  pedantry  of  some 
theologians,  prompts  them  to  speak  contemptuously 
of  what  they  call  the  barrenness  of  our  language  in 
Church  History.  We  have  not,  it  is  true,  any  compre- 
hensive work  of  Church  History,  embracing  every 
period  and  every  department  of  God's  kingdom  ;  but 
we  have  a  great  many  particular  histories,  written 
with  abihty  and  research  ;  and  it  would  be  difficult  to 
show  any  important  field  of  Ecclesiastical  History 
which  has  not  been  well  labored  in  the  English  tongue. 
It  is  not,  I  think,  to  be  regretted  that  the  whole  body 
of  Church  History  cannot  be  found  in  any  one  work. 


A   BLrND  mNISTER.  Ill 

It  would  make  too  large  a  book,  and  we  should  want 
the  views  of  other  authors  on  many  of  the  subjects 
discussed. 

In  my  judgment,  our  ministers  do  not  sufficiently 
study  Church  History.  It  is  of  vast  advantage  in 
many  respects.  It  helps  us  to  guide  our  conduct  on 
a  thousand  occasions ;  it  shows  us  that  most  things 
which  we  call  new,  and  innovations  in  the  Church,  are 
only  modern  forms  of  old  matters  ;  and  it  helps  us  to 
test  the  reasonableness  of  many  proceedings  and 
many  opinions,  which  transpire  in  Ecclesiastical  move- 
ments. 

Every  minister  should  study  Church  History,  not 
only  extensively,  but  minutely,  and  with  a  philosophic 
spirit,  that  he  might  draw  out  conclusions  applicable 
to  exigencies  and  occasions,  which  are  continually 
transpiring. 

During  this  summer,  also,  I  extended  my  acquaint- 
ance very  much.  I  had  an  opportunity  of  making  the 
acquaintance  of  most  of  the  eminent  men,  in  all  the 
walks  of  life,  in  Eastern  Massachusetts.  I  was  par- 
ticularly interested  with  Dr.  Worcester,  with  whom  I 
had  a  somewhat  intimate  intercourse.  He  was  the 
master-spirit  in  the  religious  movements  of  that 
period.  He  placed  his  hand  upon  the  great  wheel  of 
missionary  movements,  and  had  a  large  agency  in  run- 
ning the  line  of  demarcation  between  the  Liberal 
and  Orthodox  men  in  matters  of  religion.  I  preached 
for  Dr.  Worcester  at  the  Tabernacle,  in  Salem,  twice 
during  this  summer.  He  was  an  exceedingly  courte- 
ous and  kind-hearted  man,  with  a  vein  of  shrewd  and 
dry  wit,  which  occasionally  revealed  itself  without 
apparentlybeing  noticed  by  him. 


112  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

In  addition  to  many  interesting  personal  acquaint- 
ances I  made,  I  gained  a  somewhat  minute  knowledge 
of  the  people,  in  the  agricultural  portions  of  the 
eastern  part  of  the  State,  and  the  contiguous  portions 
of  New  Hampshire.  I  found  a  somewhat  different 
community  from  any  I  had  met  with  before.  They 
were  at  that  time  a  solid,  staid,  and  grave  people. 
They  had  more  of  the  Puritan  manner  than  was  to  be 
found  in  other  parts  of  the  country ;  and  there  was 
about  society  there,  in  the  language  of  Plutarch,  "  the 
bloom  of  antiquity." 

They  were  devoid  of  the  vivacity,  elasticity,  and 
breadth  of  movement  which  characterized  the  people 
of  the  western  border  of  New  England  and  in  the 
State  of  New  York.  These  remarks  apply  to  the  ag- 
ricultural districts  of  Eastern  Massachusetts  ;  but  their 
seaports  glow  with  the  ardor  of  commercial  enter- 
prise, and  the  water-powers  along  their  streams  bustle 
and  resound  with  the  stir  of  manufacturing  industry. 

After  a  short  vacation  at  home,  I  returned  to  the 
institution  and  spent  the  winter.  During  the  winter, 
I  often  preached  at  Boston ;  and,  to  my  surprise,  I  re- 
ceived an  application  from  the  Committee  of  the  Brat- 
tle-street Church,  to  come  and  preach  their  preparatory 
lecture.  Dr.  Woods  was  delighted  with  my  invitation, 
and  advised  me  by  all  means  to  go.  I  preached  the 
lecture,  and  was  then  requested  to  supply  the  pulpit 
Sabbath  afternoon.  President  Kirkland  was  to  admin- 
ister the  sacrament  in  the  morning.  The  congregation 
of  Brattle-street  is  a  very  enlightened  one.  It  was  at 
that  time,  and  perhaps  is  yet,  the  most  learned  con- 
gregation on  this  continent.  I  felt  a  little  solicitude 
at  taking  so  conspicuous  and  responsible  a  place.     But 


A   BLIND   MINISTER.  113 

I  was  received  very  kindly  ;  had  a  number  of  invita- 
tions to  dine  with  different  famihes  of  the  congrega- 
tion ;  was  generously  paid,  and  returned,  after  a  visit 
of  three  or  four  days,  to  the  Theological  Seminary. 

I  was  called  to  Boston  to  visit  my  neighbor  and 
excellent  friend.  Judge  Sedgwick,  who  was  then  the 
subject  of  his  last  sickness.  He  was  holding  the 
Supreme  Court  there,  and  expired  after  a  short  and 
distressing  illness.  I  attended  his  funeral,  and  min- 
gled my  sympathies  with  his  suffering  family,  for 
whom  I  felt  the  tenderest  regard  and  respect. 

No  remarkable  incidents  marked  my  residence  in 
the  Seminary  that  winter.  I  read  and  wrote  with  un- 
intermitted  industry. 

I  will  here  make  extracts  from  a  few  of  the  letters 
which  I  received.  My  first  shall  be  from  a  letter 
from  my  friend,  Mr.  Byington,  whose  renown  as  a  mis- 
sionary has  greatly  interested  the  public  in  his  char- 
acter and  history.  It  will  show  the  intense  ardor  of 
this  young  man  (who  was  at  that  time  a  legal  student) 
in  every  kind  of  improvement.  The  depth  and  warmth 
of  his  feelings  are  very  obvious  in  his  letters,  and 
his  amazing  industry  is  plainly  indicated.  Indeed,  I 
think  Mr.  Byington  was  as  great  a  glutton  of  books 
as  I  ever  knew.  He  was  an  indefatigable  reader,  and 
read  to  advantage. 

Stockbeidqe,  January  5,  1814. 
My  Very  Dear  and  Respected  Friend,  —  I  am  sitting  in  the 
same  room  which,  two  winters  since,  was  a  scene  which  you  and  I 
consecrated  to  study.  Everything  about  me  recalls  those  days. 
The  little  fire  on  the  hearth,  with  the  same  andirons  you  used  ;  the 
old  paper  window-curtains,  and  your  slippers  in  the  corner  of  the 
room,  together  crowd  into  my  mind  such  a  throng  of  recollections 
10* 


114  A.UTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

so  closely  identified  with  you,  that  I  am  almost  cheated  into  a  belief 
that  this  little  back  room  is  now  blessed  with  your  presence,  and 
dignified  as  the  scene  of  your  labors.  But  ah,  it  was  in  days  that 
have  long  since  stolen  their  way  behind  the  hills  that  my  winter 
evenings  were  so  peculiarly  happy;  and  I  wish  to  Heaven  you  might 
return,  or  rather,  that  you  should  never  be  absent. 

Too  well  are  you  aware  of  every  feeling  of  my  heart,  to  make  it 
in  the  least  necessary  for  me  to  tell  you  how  much  I  dream  of 
your  coming  home  at  no  distant  period,  when  we  may  again  meet 
and  embrace  each  other,  and  fill  up  our  days  and  hours  in  some 
studies  that  will  improve  the  mind,  and  make  me  a  useful  member 
of  society,  and  when  we  can  cultivate  a  mutual  friendship,  and 
soften  the  rough  ways  of  life  by  every  assiduity  of  kindness  and 
love.  This  is  a  hope  which  I  press  to  my  bosom,  and  cherish  with 
an  ardor  that  enables  me  to  surmount  any  dijficulties  that  may  now 
lie  in  my  course.  \Yhen  I  read  your  last  kind  letter,  1  could  not 
help  smiling  at  the  threat  you  fulmined  against  me  for  not  writing. 
I  fancy  that  it  must  have  required  the  utmost  exertion  in  you  to 
work  up  your  feelings  and  aspect  into  such  a  condition  as  your  let- 
ter indicates,  particularly  as  such  an  attitude  of  mind  and  face, 
from  a  great  want  of  habit,  would  make  you  look  and  act  so  con- 
founded odd,  and  so  much  out  of  your  common  course,  that  you 
would  furnish  no  small  merriment  to  bystanders. 

I  could  tell  you  my  reasons  (but  they  are  too  long  to  relate) 
which  would  satisfy  you  as  to  my  conduct,  were  you  to  hear  them. 
I  would  rather  have  my  character  sufier  from  ungrounded  suspicion 
than  to  be  deprived  of  my  paper,  when  I  am  at  liberty  to  write,  by 
stufiing  it  full  of  awkward  apologies. 

The  courts  are  now  over,  and  business  has  again  declined  into  its 
old  and  regular  channels.  You  ask  about  a  hundred  things,  and  I 
wish  I  had  a  hundred  tongues  and  brazen  lungs  that  I  could  tell 
you  everything,  and  be  (pardon  my  pedantry)  in  some  humble 
degree,  what  Atticus  was  to  Cicero.  I  spend  most  of  my  time  at 
the  office  in  reading,  and  must  lay  up  all  the  information  I  can  at 
this  period  of  life.  No  time  of  life  is  so  well  fitted  to  lay  up  facts  as 
that  which  is  now  passing  with  me.  I  am  reading  biography,  his- 
tory, essays,  and  shall  soon  be  reading  Edwards  on  the  Will,  and 
Campbell's  Rhetoric.    These  I  must  read ;  and  I  here  add,  that  if 


A   BLIND   MINISTER.  115 

life  and  health  are  spared,  I  will  establish  a  character  for  knowl- 
edge and  virtue. 

Whatever  I  read,  I  read  with  practical  views.  And  here,  again, 
how  happy  should  I  be  were  you  here  to  direct  me.  If  I  read  for 
two  years,  four  hours  in  each  day,  the  studies  of  my  profession,  I 
shall  be  able,  I  hope,  to  hold  up  my  head  among  the  backwoods- 
men of  Ohio.  As  to  Quincy's  impertinence  in  writing  to  you 
about  my  speech,  when  he  knew  I  forgot  two  entire  pages  of  it,  I 
am  determined  to  say  nothing.  You  ought  to  have  had  the  chas- 
tising of  me  at  that  time.  But  the  affair  has  gone  by,  and  stale 
recollections  are  the  objects  of  your  abhorrence.  Pray  excuse  me 
for  not  giving  a  delineation  of  my  own  terrible  feelings  on  the 
occasion. 

I  beg  you  to  lay  up  a  mass  of  books  to  bring  home  ;  I  feel  like 
reading  without  any  limitation.  By  the  way,  I  am  not  troubled 
with  the  the  blues ;  exercise  and  continual  effort  are  too  powerful 
for  them.  There  is  nothing  like  occupation.  Give  me  that  when 
I  am  in  health,  and  let  it  be  of  a  kind  which  is  improving,  and  I 
am  more  happy  than  in  any  other  situation.  The  Life  of  Brain erd 
has  infused  such  a  strong  idea  of  continued  action,  and  what  perse- 
verance can  accomplish,  that  I  hope  I  shall  not  soon  be  idle  or  un- 
employed for  a  moment.  I  have  just  finished  this  book,  and  it  has 
been  the  means  of  strengthening  in  me  every  high  resolution  and 
every  virtuous  purpose.  I  will  say  of  the  Life  of  Brainerd,  as 
Johnson  says  of  Bunyan's  Pilgrim's  Progress,  "  it  is  one  of  the  very 
few  books  that  are  not  too  long." 

I  love  to  commit  my  course  of  study  to  your  supervision  and 
direction.  1  have  read,  since  you  have  left  me,  Littleton's  History 
of  England,  a  very  pleasing  and  instructive  work.  I  am  now  reading 
Coke,  one  of  the  master-builders  in  the  temple  of  law.  But  the 
less  I  say  on  this  subject  to  others,  the  more  kindness  shall  I  gain, 
as  Coke  and  the  law  do  not  surpass  every  other  subject  in  point 
of  general  interest. 

With  the  utmost  affection.    Adieu. 

Cyrus  Byington. 


CHAPTER    IX. 

EARLY   STAGES    OF   MY   PROFESSION. 

Letter  from  Professor  Dewey.  —  Letter  from  Charles  Sedgwick.  —  Letter 
to  my  Sister.  —  Death  of  Washington.  —  Declaration  of  War.  —  Ex- 
tract from  Professor  Kellogg's  Letter.  —  A  War  Scene. — Reminis- 
cence of  Webster.  —  British  Of&cers. 

(from  professor  DEWEY.) 

Williams  College,  January  3,  1814. 

Mr  Excellent  Friend,  —  I  am  glad  to  hear  of  the  prosperity 
of  your  institution,  of  its  increasing  numbers  and  augmenting  in- 
fluence. You  have,  collected  there,  such  an  amount  of  talent,  learn- 
ing, and  virtue,  that  you  cannot  fail  to  put  forth  great  power  over 
the  country.  I  pray  for  the  blessing  of  the  Lord  to  rest  upon  it, 
and  make  it  an  organ  of  hallowed  and  delightful  influence  to  the 
land. 

I  have  been  reading  "Worcester's  Bible  News.  He  removes  no 
difficulty.  His  views  ofiend  against  good  taste,  good  sense,  and  the 
Scriptures.  I  am  yet  a  staunch  Trinitarian.  Every  attack  made 
upon  the  "  doctrine  according  to  godliness,"  deepens  my  convic- 
tion of  its  truth  and  preciousness.  I  have  also  been  reading  a  man- 
uscript of  Mr.  Kinne's,  on  the  Sonship  of  Christ.  This  is  an 
excellent  thing,  in  my  opinion,  and  I  rejoice  that  it  will  soon  be 
published.  It  removes  the  great  diflBculty.  He  contends  that  the 
Son  of  God  is  the  Word,  the  second  person  of  the  Trinity,  united  to 
the  man  Jesus.  The  Word  is  not  Son,  and  Jesus  is  not  Son,  but 
this  complex  person  is  the  Son  of  God,  for  the  reason  given  by  the 
angel,  Luke,  i  35  :  "  And  the  angel  answered  and  said  unto  her, 
The  Holy  Ghost  shall  come  upon  thee,  and  the  power  of  the  Highest 
Bhall  overshadow  thee ;  therefore  that  holy  thing  which  shall  be 
born  of  thee,  shall  be  called  the  Son  of  God." 

Please  to  consider  this  carefully,  though  I  dare  say  you  have  al- 

(116) 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   A   BLIND   MINISTER.  117 

ready  thought  on  the  subject ;  but  such  subjects  are  worth  looking 
at  deeply  and  long.  Properly  speaking,  or  speaking  in  the  highest 
sense,  it  would  then  be  wrong  to  say,  The  eternal  Son  of  God,  for 
the  Son  is  no  more  eternal  than  man  is.  There  is  no  eternal  affilia- 
tion or  generation,  and  such  like  contradictions  in  terms.  Mr.  K. 
has  abundant  Scriptural  proofs.  He  is  a  man  of  great  ability  and 
learning,  but  little  known  to  fame  ;  for  he  is  not  a  popular  preacher, 
and  never  affected  any  splendor  to  win  himself  a  name. 
With  great  esteem  and  cordial  friendship,  yours, 

C.  Dewey. 

Extracts  of  a  letter  from  my  friend,  Charles  Sedg- 
wick : 

New  York,  March  25,  1814. 

My  Dear  Friend,  — Do  you  need  to  be  reminded  that  your  letter 
has  been  too  long  unanswered?  The  truth  is,  I  have  never  been  in 
a  suflGiciently  felicitous  mood  to  discharge  the  high  obligation  your 
kind  favor  imposed.  Time  and  chance  happen  to  all  men  ;  but  I 
have  never,  since  the  receipt  of  your  letter,  had  any  indications  that 
I  should  be  able  by  writing  to  add  much  in  any  way  to  your  enjoy- 
ment. My  observations  could  probably  add  nothing  to  your  stock 
of  important  facts,  and  it  would  be  vain  for  me  to  attempt  to  enter- 
tain you  by  investing  with  new  forms  any  of  those  subjects  which 
must  be  taken  from  the  sources  of  your  own  knowledge. 

We  have  just  heard  the  wonderful  news  from  Europe.  Such 
events  are  so  far  beyond  our  experience,  and  almost  beyond  our 
conception,  that  our  senses  were  at  first  confounded.  The  confused 
and  intemperate  exhilaration  which  was  at  first  produced,  however, 
very  soon  subsided  into  the  calmer  and  more  natural  emotions  of 
praise  and  adoration  to  Him  who  has  thus  vindicated  His  ways. 
The  unexampled  history  of  the  world,  for  the  last  few  years,  has 
been  calculated  to  produce  in  the  minds  of  all  those  who  were  not 
established  in  the  faith  which  cannot  be  shaken,  something  very  like 
scepticism,  in  regard  to  the  great  and  magnificent  doctrine  of  Provi- 
dence ;  something,  also,  like  a  conviction  that  the  world  and  all  it 
contains  was  abandoned  to  the  dominion  of  the  Evil  One  himself. 
It  has  really  seemed  to  me  (but  I  dare  say  I  have  thought  wrong) 
that  the  honor  of  God's  providence  required  the  prostration  of  the 


118  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

tyrant  of  the  earth.  The  moral  and  physical  elements  of  the  world 
have  been  combined  in  the  work  of  desolation.  A  ruthless  con- 
queror has  been  permitted  hitherto  to  trample  on  the  necks  of  the 
innocent  and  the  guilty  indiscriminately,  and  pour  out,  in  one 
common  stream,  the  blood  of  the  just  and  the  unjust. 

This  prevalence  of  evil  in  the  arrangements  of  Providence  has 
given  scope  for  scepticism  to  triumph.  But  the  delusions  of  the 
superficial  have  vanished  ;  the  spirit  of  the  infidel  is  confounded  ; 
the  oppressor's  rod  is  broken.  "  He  who  ruleth  in  the  heavens" 
has  manifested  his  righteous  judgments.  "  The  Lord  reigneth  ;  let 
the  earth  rejoice."  The  Arch-Enemy  of  all  that  is  good  is  hum- 
bled to  the  dust. 

The  letter  that  I  am  now  writing  is  the  last  thing  that  I  do  in 
this  city.  I  leave  it  this  afternoon.  I  cannot  go  without  renew- 
ing the  profession,  and  the  pledge  of  my  aflfection.  Mr.  Watson  and 
my  sister  beg  me  to  assure  .you  that  it  will  give  them  great  satis- 
faction to  see  you  at  their  house.  They  consider  it  as  much  a  matter 
of  course  as  your  visit  itself,  that  you  should  spend  all  your  time 
with  them. 

I  left  your  letter  with  my  sister  some  time  ago,  and  she  took  the 
liberty  of  showing  it  to  her  illustrious  pastor.  Dr.  Mason.  I  will 
not  repeat  the  remarks  he  made;  but  he  concluded  them  by  request- 
ing her  to  ask  me,  in  my  next  letter,  to  present  to  you  his  most 
affectionate  and  respectful  remembrance.  I  will  not  say  how  far 
his  vision  might  have  been  rendered  clear  to  the  perception  of 
moral  and  intellectual  beauties  by  the  compliment  which  he  himself 
received  ;  but  this  is  certain,  that  he  spoke  in  a  most  enthusiastic 
strain  of  commendation,  which  great  men  seldom  give  themselves 
the  trouble  to  do. 

My  sister  Catherine  told  me  last  night  to  present  her  salutations 
to  you,  in  a  style  worthy  of  herself,  but  which  I  do  not  suflBciently 
recollect.  It  is  enough  that  it  was  conformable  to  your  character 
and  her  heart. 

I  hope  I  shall  soon  hear  from  you  when  I  reach  Stockbridge. 

I  went  last  Sunday  to  hear  your  friend,  Mr.  Spring,  for  the  first 
time.  He  has  more  solemnity  than  any  preacher  I  have  heard  in 
the  city  ;  more  of  that  unction  which  flows  from  a  love  of  the  truth 
and  a  conviction  of  its  importance.  He  seems  more  desirous  to 
make  what  he  says  tell  upon  the  minds  of  his  audience,  apparently 


A   BLIND   MINISTER.  119 

regardless  of  his  own  consideration,  than  any  other  man  I  havo 
seen.  I  was  pleased  with  his  indications  of  character  ;  Ijut  his  ser- 
mon was,  to  my  perceptions,  an  unfortunate  one  —  endeavoring  to 
establish,  by  argument,  such  a  connection  between  Adam's  sin  and 
my  transgressions,  as  to  fasten  some  of  the  blame  of  our  first 
father's  oiFcnce  upon  me ;  as  I  hold  it  a  moral  and  metaphysical 
impossibility  that  I  was  in  any  way  guilty  of  Adam's  sin.  This  is 
a  sliort  but  true  account  of  his  discourse,  as  I  understood  it. 

I  must  close,  by  begging  you  to  accept  tliis  letter  rather  for  the 
sentiments  which  occasioned  it  than  for  those  it  contains. 

Farewell,  my  friend.     God  bless  you.     Yours  sincerely, 

Charles  Sedgwick. 

In  the  spring,  I  had  an  application  to  go  to  Glou- 
cester Harbor  Society  to  preach.  I  preached  there  a 
few  Sabbaths ;  and,  in  compHance  with  the  earnest  so- 
licitation of  a  Female  Benevolent  Society,  I  preached 
a  Charity  sermon,  which  the  Society  insisted  on  print- 
ing. I  gave  them  a  copy,  and  it  was  published  at 
Boston.  A  few  copies  were  sent  to  my  native  village. 
This  made  a  demand  for  a  large  quantity,  and  a  second 
edition  was  published. 

After  returning  to  Stockbridge,  in  the  course  of  the 
spring,  I  received  an  application  to  supply  the  pulpit 
in  Gloucester  for  six  months ;  but  a  web  of  engage- 
ments was  fastened  upon  me,  and  I  was  compelled  to 
decline  their  request,  pleasing  as  it  would  have  been 
to  me  to  have  spent  some  time  amid  that  ocean 
scenery. 

DrriNiTY  College,  June  25, 1814. 
My  Very  Dear  Sister  Lester, — I  thank  you  for  your  kind  letter, 
and  will  not  permit  it  to  remain  unanswered.  My  visit  at  your 
house,  on  my  way  to  Andover,  was  delightful ;  and  I  was  greatly  af- 
fected by  the  deep  interest  your  congregation  took  in  my  preaching. 
I  remember  your  interesting  religious  society  with  great  affection,  and 


120  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

will  thank  you  to  assure  them  of  my  interest  in  their  prosperity. 
Remember  me  also,  respectfully  and  affectionately,  to  your  pastor, 
whose  health  seemed  to  me  quite  slender.  I  hope  your  congregation 
will  not  overwork  him,  but  endeavor  to  cheer  and  sustain  him.  It 
promotes  the  usefulness  of  a  minister  to  manifest  frequent  and  affec- 
tionate tokens  of  regard  for  him.  An  elder  in  a  Dutch  church,  in 
Columbia  county,  remarked  to  me  about  his  pastor,  "  We  want  our 
minister,"  said  he,  "  to  have  a  good  grace  and  a  good  face;  we 
want  him  pious,  and  we  want  him  happy  in  the  confidence  and 
affection  of  his  people." 

I  thank  you,  too,  for  the  interest  you  take  in  my  well  being  and 
well  doing.  I  am  as  well  situated  here,  for  moral  and  intellectual 
enjoyment  and  improvement,  as  I  could  be  anywhere  in  the  world. 
I  board  in  the  steward's  hall,  where  our  living  is  abominable —  it  is 
coarse  and  unpalatable.  Brother  Gallaudet  remarked  to  me  a  few 
days  ago,  as  we  were  walking  in  from  dinner,  "  Well,  Brother 
Woodbridge,  our  living  is  contrary  to  the  Bible.  We  give  our 
money  for  that  which  is  not  bread,  and  our  labor  for  that  which 
satisfieth  not."  We  live  so,  purely  from  the  most  amiable  motives. 
On  account  of  the  high  price  of  provisions,  we  adopted  some  sump- 
tuary rules,  and  unanimously  consented  to  some  severe  privations, 
to  reduce  the  expense  of  board,  and  thus  prevent  the  turning  away 
of  some  poor  scholars  who  are  on  the  charity  foundation.  The  fac- 
ulty would  have  been  obliged  to  send  away  several,  on  account  of 
the  inadequacy  of  the  funds,  if  we  had  not  cut  dovra  our  living. 
So  I  bear  these  privations  well ;  but  our  privileges  are  immense. 

We  have  learned  and  pious  professors ;  and  we  have,  at  the  present 
time,  an  excellent  assemblage  of  students.  We  have  sometimes  had 
students  here  who  had  some  undesirable  excrescences,  and  run  into 
extremes  in  regard  to  matters  of  doctrine  and  practice ;  but  we  have 
here  now  a  judicious  and  reasonable  set  of  men.  There  is  a  decid- 
edly pious  element  enveloping  us  in  this  institution.  The  mission- 
ary spirit  is  also  active  among  us.  We  have  a  number  of  precious 
young  men,  directing  their  attention  and  preparation  to  the  prop- 
agation of  the  gospel  among  the  heathen.  We  have  great  facilities 
for  ascertaining  the  moral  condition  of  every  region,  and  almost 
every  spot  on  the  earth.  You  are  always  earnestly  concerned  in 
religious  things,  and  it  gives  me  pleasure,  from  time  to  time,  to  send 
you  an  account  of  these  matters  in  this  portion  of  the  country. 


A  BLIND  MINISTER.  121 

Religion  is  a  subject  that  occupies  a  large  space  in  public  atten- 
tion, and  the  religious  elements  of  this  region  are  in  a  state  of  high 
eifervescencc.  This  is  caused  by  the  con  trover!- ies  which  are  agitated 
in  regard  to  the  division  of  the  churches  into  Orthodox  and  Liberal, 
and  by  the  great  dispute  which  is  going  on  about  church  con- 
fessions. 

The  churches  have,  for  a  long  time,  been  heterogeneous  bodies  — 
made  up  of  Calvinists,  Arminians,  Arians,  and  Socinians.  Wood, 
hay,  and  stubble  have  entered  into  their  composition.  There  are, 
among  the  Liberal  ministers  and  membership  of  the  churches,  a 
great  many  exceedingly  amiable,  talented,  upright,  and  liberal  men. 
The  line  of  demarcation  which  is  now  being  run  through  the  churches 
is  gathering  nevr  organizations  out  of  old  ones ;  and  such  sunder- 
ings  as  these,  you  may  well  suppose,  must  produce  high  exasper- 
ation. But  I  hope  these  divisions  will  be  conducted  with  as  much 
"kindness  as  possible.  Let  us  all  abstain  from  aspersions  of  one 
another. 

You  wonder  hoAV  the  churches  in  Boston  and  its  vicinity,  that 
anciently  shone  out  in  all  the  splendor  of  evangelic  truth,  should 
have  declined  so  far  into  latitudinarian  views.  But,  my  dear  sister, 
the  change  has  happened  very  gradually.  It  began  in  omission. 
It  was  the  work  entirely  of  the  ministers.  They  omitted  to  bring 
out  before  their  congregations  evangelical  doctrines,  and  the  con- 
gregations gradually  sunk  down  into  an  ignorance  of  these  doctrines. 
They  had  not  heard  them  for  a  long  time,  and  had  but  dim  percep- 
tions of  their  being  in  the  Bible  ;  and  when  some  minister  of 
sturdy  honesty  brought  out  these  doctrines  plainly,  the  people  began 
to  be  startled.  They  did  not  believe  them,  because  they  had  not 
heard  them  from  their  amiable  and  loved  pastors.  Omission  will, 
in  time,  work  the  silent  effect  of  negation.  The  teachers  did  not 
directly  attack  what  we  call  the  doctrines  of  grace,  but  passed  them 
by  in  silence. 

Dr.  Kirkland,  our  eminent  townsman,  said  to  me  a  whilu 
ago,  "  Why,  if  our  preaching,  imperfect  as  you  consider  it,  should 
be  obeyed  by  the  people,  society  would  present  a  beautiful  specta- 
cle of  all  the  amiable  and  social  virtues  :  it  would  be  a  sort  of 
'heaven  upon  earth.'  "  But  I  ventured  to  reply  to  the  learned 
heresiarch,  that  I  had  no  doubt  that  if  the  people  were  obedient  to 
their  teachers,  wo  should  see  the  probities  and  virtues  of  social  life 
11 


122  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

flourishing  in  all  their  greenness  on  every  side.  "But,"  said  I, 
' '  we  consider  the  grand  drift  of  the  gospel  to  be  the  reconciliation 
of  men  unto  God.  The  sin  of  the  community  is  not  so  much  out- 
rageous wickedness  as  ungodliness.  Men,  with  all  their  probities, 
are  without  God  in  the  world  ;  and  we  are  aiming,  with  our  Ortho- 
doxy, to  bring  them  back  to  their  allegiance  to  Heayen." 

Remember  me  most  affectionately  to  your  dear  husband,  and  tell 
him  that  I  lament  as  much  as  he  does  the  confused  sound  of  war 
which  sweeps  over  the  land.  But  let  us  not  forget  to  see  green 
spots,  which  are  sprinkled  here  and  there  among  us.  Notwith- 
standing the  pressure  of  war,  there  is  a  great  deal  of  kindness  and 
private  charity  among  the  people  all  over  New  England  ;  and  there 
is  no  remission  in  the  efforts  of  good  people  to  spread  the  gospel. 
It  is  affecting  and  cheering  to  see  the  sacrifices  good  men  are  making 
to  bless  their  fellow  beings. 

Kiss  your  dear  children  for  me,  and  tell  them  that  I  expect  to  see 
them  next  fall. 

Sincerely  and  affectionately,  your  brother, 

T.    WOODBRIDGE. 

I  have  witnessed,  in  the  course  of  my  life,  the  an- 
nouncement of  two  events  "  which  made  both  the  ears 
of  every  man  who  heard  them  to  tingle,"  and  stirred 
the  deepest  fountains  of  national  feeling — the  death 
of  Washington,  and  the  declaration  of  war  against 
Great  Britain.  These  two  events  were  both  of  an 
exceedingly  exciting  nature;  but  their  impression 
upon  the  national  mind  was  very  different. 

The  death  of  Washington,  and  its  first  effects,  I 
well  remember.  That  event  imparted  the  most  pro- 
found melancholy  to  the  mind  of  every  thinking  man. 
The  scenes  which  transpired  on  that  occasion  in  our 
New  England  villages  were  affecting  and  honorable 
to  the  intelligence  and  heart  of  the  people.  We  all 
had  a  sense  of  weakness  come  over  us.  While  Wash- 
ington lived,  whether  in  office  or  out  of  office,  the 


A   BLIND   MINISTER.  123 

country  felt  that  the  vessel  of  state  would  move  on 
safely  ;  and,  if  it  deviated,  his  strong  hand  would  put 
it  in  the  right  direction.  The  country  had  leaned 
upon  his  great  arm,  and,  when  that  great  arm  was 
withdrawn  by  death,  the  feeling  of  good  citizens 
everywhere  was,  "  We  must  be  better  citizens.  Wo 
have  depended  on  the  great  and  good  Washington ; 
and  now,  under  God,  we  must  depend  on  ourselves." 
I  heard  men,  with  tears  in  their  eyes,  say  to  those 
around  them,  "  Neighbors,  we  must  be  better  citizens. 
We  must  love  one  another,  and  love  our  country 
better ;  for  Washington  is  dead,  and  he  was  the  strength 
and  bulwark  of  the  land." 

The  declaration  of  war  was  made  June  18,  1812. 
This  event  excited  party  spirit  to  its  utmost  pitch. 
The  country  was  not  full  of  the  resources  of  pros- 
perity. It  had  been  considerably  exhausted  by  the  re- 
strictive measures  of  the  government,  to  induce  Great 
Britain  to  yield  to  our  terms.  These  restrictive  meas- 
ures had,  in  some  degree,  sent  out  of  the  country  its 
precious  metals  ;  and  non-intercourse  and  embargoes 
had  made  the  accommodations  and  comforts  of  life 
somewhat  scarce  and  dear.  The  declaration  of  war 
penetrated  all  the  relations  of  life,  social  and  religious, 
and  put  forth  a  disturbing  influence  into  every  depart- 
ment of  society.  The  Governor  of  Massachusetts 
issued  a  proclamation,  setting  apart  a  day  for  fasting, 
humiliation,  and  prayer,  in  reference  to  this  war. 
This  measure  gratified  those  who  considered  the  war 
impolitic  and  immoral,  but  excited  the  deepest  dis- 
pleasure in  those  who  had  advocated  and  hurried  on 
the  conflict.  Some  ministers  were  afraid  to  read  the 
proclamation    to   their  congregations,  and    in   some 


124  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

congregations  it  was  deemed  inexpedient  to  observe 
the  day.  In  such  places,  however,  there  were  pious 
famihes  and  individuals  who  betook  themselves  to  the 
secret  place  of  prayer,  and  in  timidity  gathered 
around  their  family  altars,  and  spent  the  day  in  devo- 
tional exercises. 

Signals  of  war  were  to  be  seen  everywhere.  Our 
once  peaceful  villages  resounded  with  the  beat  of 
the  drum,  and  bristled  with  bayonets.  Troops  and 
sailors  were  transported,  in  haste,  upon  all  our  great 
public  highways. 

At  Andover,  we  contemplated  the  scene  with  patri- 
otic and  pious  solicitude.  There  was  very  much  ear- 
nest praying,  that  God  would  lift  up  his  hand  from  our 
afflicted  country,  and  turn  away  his  judgments.  In  a 
temporary  absence  from  the  Seminary,  I  received  a 
letter  from  my  friend,  Mr.  Kellogg,  afterwards  the 
professor,  from  which  I  make  an  extract : 

"  The  noise  of  war  is  heard ;  its  meteors  glare  in  the  distance. 
We  hear  the  sound  of  firing  every  day  along  the  coast,  and  we  feel 
that  God's  judgments  are  abroad  in  our  country.  The  pious 
should  everywhere  humble  themselves  under  the  mighty  hand  of  the 
Ruler  of  nations.  The  minds  of  the  people  seem  to  be  absorbed  in 
politics  and  the  events  of  war.  It  seems  to  me  that  good  men 
everywhere  should  endeavor  to  give  a  better  direction  to  the  public 
feeling.  While  we  inculcate  love  ot  country  on  our  fellow-citizens, 
and  rejoice  with  moderation  over  all  our  successes,  let  us  rend  our 
hearts  in  penitence  before  God,  and  supplicate  the  throne  of  Eternal 
love  to  spare  this  afflicted  land.  It  is  a  fearful  consideration  that, 
in  this  time  of  the  world,  when  in  every  nation  we  see  frequent 
specimens  of  portentous  wickedness,  and  few  are  engaged  in  propa- 
gating the  Christian  faith  to  benighted  lands,  we  should  be  en- 
gaged in  bloody  hostility  with  that  great  nation  which  is  the  bul- 
wark of  the  Protestant  religion. 

"  May  God  speedily  bless  our  land  with  peace." 


A  BLIND   MINISTER.  125 

The  following  extract  of  a  letter  from  an  And  over 
friend,  who  was  preaching  at  Bloomfield,  N.  Y.,  dated 
February  5,  1814,  depicts  a  home  scene  in  the  war: 

"We  have  had  serious  times  here  this  winter ;  and  it  seems  to 
Die  that  you  cannot,  in  the  peaceful  and  hallowed  shades  of  Ando- 
ver,  possibly  conceive  of  the  horrors  and  calamities  of  this  war. 
You  have  doubtless  heard,  before  this  time,  the  particulars  of  the 
battle  at  Black  Rock.  The  flower  of  our  young  men  in  Bloomfield 
were  in  the  engagement.  Some  of  them  have  returned  to  their 
friends;  several  were  killed,  and  others  foil  into  the  hands  of  the 
enemy.  I  can  hardly  convey  to  you  an  idea  of  the  anxiety 
that  was  felt  here,  when  we  first  heard  of  the  battle.  It  was  sup- 
posed that  nearly  all  were  killed.  Dejection  sat  on  every  coun- 
tenance. To  behold  mothers  crying  and  wringing  their  hands,  for 
the  sons  whom  they  saw,  in  imagination,  mangled  by  the  toma- 
hawk and  scalping-knife,  was  a  moving  spectacle,  —  as  also  the 
joy  with  which  some  welcomed  their  returned  friends.  We  still 
see  dejection  settled  on  the  countenances  of  the  parent,  the  widow, 
and  the  fatherless,  for  a  son,  a  husband,  and  a  father,  they  never 
will  again  embrace  this  side  the  grave.  I  now  begin  faintly  to 
realize  the  miseries  of  war.  That  the  time  may  soon  come  when 
the  sword  shall  be  beaten  into  the  ploughshare  and  the  spear  into 
the  pruning-hook,  should  be  the  prayer  of  all  the  friends  of  human- 
ity and  of  the  Redeemer's  kingdom." 

In  the  fall  of  1812,  I  was  sent  by  the  professors  to 
preach  in  a  particular  town  in  Rockingham  county. 
New  Hampshire  The  people  there  were  very  much 
excited  about  a  great  political  meeting  which  had 
been  held  the  previous  Thursday  in  the  church  edifice 
where  I  preached.  They  told  me  that  Esquire  Webs- 
ter, of  Portsmouth,  was  up  at  the  meeting ;  that  he 
drew  up  the  able  resolutions  adopted  at  that  meeting, 
and  just  published,  and  that  the  'squire  made  the 
greatest  and  most  eloquent  speech  they  ever  lis- 
tened to. 

11* 


126  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

This  was  the  first  time  I  ever  heard  of  Daniel  Web- 
ster, the  illustrious  statesman.  But  his  great  thoughts 
and  deeds  and  words,  instinct  with  wisdom,  have  been 
largely  mixed  up  with  the  texture  of  my  reading  and 
hearing  from  that  time  to  the  present.  That  sun  was 
just  then  rising  over  the  country,  but  it  soon  appeared 
in  its  full-orbed  glory,  and  poured  a  flood  of  light 
and  magnificence  over  the  land,  till  it  sank  behind 
the  cloud  of  death. 

The  death  of  Webster,  in  October,  1852,  produced 
an  astounding  and  appalHng  effect  upon  the  public  mind, 
similar  to  that  produced  by  the  death  of  Washington. 
We  all  felt  proud  to  be  his  countrymen,  and  felt  a 
little  diminished  in  size  when  that  tower  of  the  re- 
public fell. 

I  made  Stockb ridge  my  headquarters  during  the 
winter  of  1814-15,  and  was  agreeably  and  profitably 
employed.  I  fitted  up  a  study  in  a  room  of  my 
brother's  office,  where  I  had  my  library  and  my  other 
literary  facilities.  My  readers  and  writers,  during  this 
winter,  were  a  singular  class  of  men  for  such  employ- 
ments, and  a  class,  I  fancy,  not  very  often  engaged  in 
such  vocations.  There  were  stationed  at  Stockbridge 
between  twenty  and  thirty  British  officers,  on  their 
parole  of  honor,  who  had  been  captured  in  the  dif- 
ferent scenes  of  the  war.  They  were,  generally,  well 
educated  and  gentlemanly  men.  Some  of  them  were 
highly  literary.  They  soon  made  acquaintance  with 
me,  and  offered  to  me  their  services  in  reading  and 
writing.  I  commonly  had  a  British  officer  in  my  study 
through  the  winter,  reading  theology  or  reviews,  or 
writing  sermons.  Their  occupations  in  this  way  must 
have  furnished  them  with  some  amusing  reminiscences 


A  BLIND   MINISTER.  127 

and  curious  stories,  to  relate  to  their  friends  in  Europe 
after  their  return. 

I  have  several  sermons,  written  from  my  dictation, 
by  intrepid  heroes,  who  had  figured  under  Wellington 
in  fighting  the  French  in  Spain.  Whenever  I  preached, 
these  military  friends  were  sure  always  to  be  present. 
On  hearing  that  I  had  thoughts  of  visiting  England  in 
the  spring,  for  the  benefit  of  my  eyes,  they  called  on 
me,  without  any  solicitation  on  my  part,  and  gave  me 
highly  commendatory  letters  of  introduction  to  their 
friends  in  England.  Many  of  these  friends  occupied 
a  very  high  social  position  in  Great  Britain.  They 
spoke,  in  their  letters  to  their  friends,  with  the  warm- 
est gratitude  of  my  attentions  to  them  in  their  cap- 
tivity, and  of  the  cheering  influence  which  my  society 
imparted  while  they  were  in  that  position.  These 
letters,  I  have  no  doubt,  would  have  been  of  great 
advantage  to  me  if  I  had  gone  to  England  as  I  con- 
templated. 

After  the  peace  was  proclaimed,  and  these  military 
friends  had  made  their  arrangements  to  depart  for 
Canada,  where  their  regiments  were  stationed,  they 
requested  their  commander-in-chief  to  call  on  me  in 
their  behalf.  The  colonel  wished  to  know  of  me 
whether  I  had  been  satisfied  with  the  conduct  of  the 
British  oflScers  during  their  stay  in  Stockbridge.  I 
told  him  I  thought  it  would  be  of  little  consequence 
to  them,  as  they  were  men  of  high  military  standing, 
whether  I  was  satisfied  with  their  conduct  or  not.  Ho 
said  it  was  their  custom,  whenever  they  left  a  place, 
to  call  on  a  clergyman,  to  know  whether  their  conduct 
had  met  his  approbation.  He  then  placed  in  my 
hands,  in  behalf  of  the  officers,  a  watch,  which  they 


128  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF   A  BLIND   MINISTER. 

desired  me  to  keep  as  a  token  of  remembrance  ;  and, 
after  filling  my  hand  with  dollars,  which  he  requested 
me  to  give  to  some  poor  widow  in  Stockbridge,  he 
bade  me  an  affectionate  farewell,  in  the  name  of  the 
officers,  and  said  it  was  their  unanimous  wish  that  I 
would  have  the  kindness  to  remember  them  in  my 
prayers.  I  requested  him  to  bear  my  grateful  re- 
spects to  the  gentlemen  whom  he  represented,  and  tell 
them  that,  in  my  judgment,  the  conduct  of  the  British 
officers  had  been  highly  creditable  to  them  as  gentle- 
men and  men  of  principle,  and  reflected  great  honor 
on  the  service  to  which  they  were  attached.  The 
colonel  then  said  to  me,  "  We  shall  be  very  grateful 
to  you  if,  when  we  are  away,  any  complaint  should 
arise  in  regard  to  our  conduct,  you  would  have  the 
goodness  to  make  any  explanations  of  which  the  case 
is  susceptible."  And  then,  with  many  tears,  praying 
for  the  benediction  of  Grod  to  rest  upon  me,  took  an 
affectionate  farewell. 

I  have  given  an  account  of  the  first  impression 
produced  by  the  declaration  of  war.  Tidings  of  peace 
came  to  us  on  the  12th  of  February,  1815,  and  were 
received  with  the  most  enthusiastic  gladness.  Our 
village  was  illuminated  ;  and  joy  beamed  in  every  face, 
and  expressed  itself  in  the  glad  accents  of  every  voice. 

The  citizens  of  Stockbridge  gave  a  public  dinner  to 
the  British  officers,  who  had  demeaned  themselves  so 
acceptably  during  their  residence  of  six  months  among 
us  ;  and  they,  in  their  turn,  gave  a  public  dinner  to  the 
citizens  of  Stockbridge. 

Such  is  one  of  the  veils  of  mercy  which  the  prov- 
idence of  Xjrod  sometimes  draws  over  the  scenes  of 
war  in  a  Christian  country. 


CHAPTER    X. 

EARLY   STAGES   OF   MY   PROFESSION. 

Primitive  Christiauity,  in  a  Letter  to  my  Brother.  —  Extracts  from  Let- 
ters to  my  Brother  and  Sister,  —  Sketch  of  Dr.  Mason's  Preaching  at 
Stockbridge. 

Divinity  College,  February  2,  1814. 

My  Very  Dear  Brother,  —  You  wish  me  to  keep  you  minutely 
apprised  of  the  progress  of  my  studies,  and  I  take  great  pleasure 
in  responding  to  all  your  requests.  I  have  been  employed,  Avith 
more  tliau  common  diligence,  in  some  researches  into  primitive 
Christianity,  and  the  condition  and  progress  of  things  during  the 
first  three  centuries  of  our  era.  Two  or  three  of  the  best  scholars 
have  been  associated  with  me  in  these  very  interesting  investigations. 
I  have  read  over  all  our  popular  church  histories  relating  to  these 
times  ;  but  I  had  an  inadequate  conception  of  them.  They  are  full 
of  interest  to  the  student,  who  loves  to  study  the  great  epochs  in 
human  affairs,  when  the  history  of  the  world  becomes  entirely 
changed,  when  old  systems  are  broken  up,  and  new  forms  of  civil- 
ization appear. 

I  have  been  reading  a  good  many  Latin  writers  of  the  period 
referred  to,  and  have  dipped  a  little  into  the  Greek  fathers.  The 
literature  of  that  period  is  really  quite  interesting,  and  some  of  it 
is  elegant  and  compact.  In  all  the  Pagan  writers,  I  find  a  tinge 
of  Scxdness,  which  was  to  be  expected  —  as  the  crumbling  and  fall  of 
an  ancient,  social,  and  religious  system  would  naturally  impart 
sadness  to  the  men  who,  with  their  fathers,  grew  up  under  it.  I 
have  been  reading,  as  far  as  I  could  find  them,  the  writings  of  the 
men  who  engaged  in  the  controversy  between  the  old  and  new  be- 
lief. I  have  also  been  reading  over  again  Gibbon  on  those  times; 
and  have  been  shocked  and  offended  with  the  Infidel  sneers  which 
he  interweaves  with  his  narration,  and  the  weapon  of  sober  irony 

(120) 


130  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

which  he  wields  against  the  fathers  of  the  church.     These  things 
must  offend  candid  readers,  who  love  truth  more  than  wit. 

In  reading  Gibbon's  sneers,  the  remark  of  the  great  Hooker,  in 
his  Ecclesiastical  Polity,  has  often  occurred  to  me.  "  There  is,"  says 
Hooker,  "  a  time  coming,  when  one  word,  spoken  in  love  and  char- 
ity, will  be  infinitely  better  for  us  than  ten  thousand  words  spoken 
with  disdainful  sharpness  of  wit." 

I  will  here  give  a  few  of  the  results  of  my  researches.  In  the 
first  place,  I  find  in  those  early  ages  the  beginnings  of  almost  every- 
thing, good  or  bad,  which  has  since  been  developed  on  a  larger 
scale  in  the  history  of  the  church ;  and  have  been  more  impressed 
than  ever  with  the  remark  the  Wise  ]\Ian  published  to  the  world 
long  ago,  that  "  There  is  nothing  new  under  the  sun."  The  fall  of 
Paganism  and  the  substitution  of  Christianity  constitute  the  most 
splendid  revolution  recorded  in  history.  When  the  ancient,  social, 
and  religious  system  of  the  civilized  world  was  assailed  by  the  rude 
vigor  of  Paul  of  Tarsus,  Irenaeus,  and  Justin  Martyr,  it  showed  to 
the  superficial  observer  no  marks  of  decay.  It  was  sustained  by  all 
governments  and  approved  by  all  nations.  And  yet,  to  a  close  and 
inside  observer,  it  had  the  marks  of  a  system  that  was  wearing  out, 
and  there  could  be  deciphered  on  its  walls  this  sentence,  "It  is 
waxed  old,  and  ready  to  vanish  away." 

The  first  preachers  of  Christianity  were  brave  and  undaunted 
men.  They  denounced  the  whole  social  and  religious  fabric  of  the 
Roman  empire,  upheld  as  it  was  by  the  Csesars,  at  the  head  of 
countless  Roman  legions.  The  struggle  of  the  first  propagators  and 
defenders  of  Christianity  was  a  struggle  for  life  or  death.  The 
burden  of  the  controversy  was  not  in  books  and  written  apologies, 
but  in  the  market-places,  in  the  streets,  and  at  the  gate  of  the  tem- 
ple. It  required  no  common  courage  to  tell  the  flamen^  at  the 
temple  of  Jupiter,  that  his  god  was  only  a  block  of  marble  ;  that 
his  priests  were  imposters,  and  his  worshippers  dupes  ;  that  Jove, 
with  his  eagle  and  thunderbolt,  was  a  contemptible  idol,  and  utterly 
powerless. 

It  is  affecting  to  trace  the  active  elements  of  Christianity  amid 
the  multitudes  of  the  empire.  When  Trajan  inquired  where  these 
Christians  were,  he  found,  by  the  letters  of  the  pro-consuls,  and  the 
reports  of  the  police,  that  they  were  everywhere  —  in  the  household 
even  of  Caesar,  in  the  forum,  and  in  the  camp.    I  admire  the  bold- 


A   BLIND   MINISTER.  131 

ness  of  the  first  apologists  of  our  faith.  They  spoke  "as  men 
having  authority."  They  were  not  particular  to  use  the  terminol- 
ogy of  the  philosophers,  but  went  straight  on  to  their  work,  using 
direct  and  plain  language.  They  condemned  the  whole  system 
around  them.  It  was  idolatry;  it  was  the  worship  of  demons; 
and  all  the  immoralties  connected  with  it  were  leading  men  down  to 
destruction.  They  denounced  all  the  gods  of  the  nations,  and  pro- 
claimed one  supreme,  invisible  Deity.  The  Caesars  all  claimed  to 
be  gods,  and  demanded  incense  while  they  lived  ;  and,  when  they 
were  dead,  they  must  have  temples  and  altars.  But  the  preachers 
told  the  people  of  a  Great  Being,  who,  though  ho  had  been  cru- 
cified, had  ascended  to  heaven  and  wielded  all  power,  and  would 
one  day  bring  the  Caesars  and  their  subjects  to  his  tribunal. 

They  condemned  the  literature  of  the  Heathens  as  impure,  and 
all  their  elegant  arts  as  employed  only  to  garnish  the  abominations 
of  idolatry.  They  refused  to  join  in  the  processions  or  cast  incense 
on  the  altars  of  the  gods.  We  may  suppose  the  reflecting  Heathen 
to  have  thought  somewhat  in  this  manner  : 

"  What  strange  and  perverse  people  are  these  Galileans!  They 
have  brought  from  an  obscure  province  of  the  empire  an  exclusive 
religion  that  undertakes  to  sweep  away  all  other  religions  from  the 
earth,  and  demands  of  us  implicit  obedience  to  the  laws  of  the  man 
of  Nazareth,  whom  one  of  our  pro-consuls  put  to  death.  Our 
social  and  religious  system  was  loved  and  honored  by  our  fathers, 
who  were  honest  and  brave  men,  and  marched,  under  its  auspices, 
to  universal  empire." 

But  I  find  that  the  writers  who  attack  Christianity,  though  they 
sometimes  show  considerable  skill,  do  not  write  like  men  who  have 
a  deep  consciousness  of  the  goodness  of  their  cause.  The  Chris- 
tians, though  they  soon  divided  into  sects,  were  united  in  certain 
great  primary  and  fundamental  principles,  and  marched  in  a  com- 
pact body  to  the  overthrow  of  Paganism.  It  is  wonderful  to  see 
with  what  rapidity  this  fabric  of  ancient  superstition,  which  had 
stood  for  a  thousand  years,  sunk  under  the  heavy  blows  which  were 
dealt  out  by  the  early  Christians.  But  the  Lord  was  with  them, 
and  a  great  many  auxiliary  tendencies,  in  the  providence  of  God, 
coincided  to  accelerate  their  triumph.  A  few  of  the  defences  of 
Christianity  are  elegant  and  pleasing  performances,  and  I  was  glad 
to  find  them  amid  the  mass  of  patristic  literature. 


132  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

The  course  of  my  education  taught  me  to  regard  the  Roman  em- 
perors as  a  succession  of  ferocious  and  bloody  persecutors.  The 
name  of  Roman  emperor  was  equivalent,  in  signification,  to  a  san- 
guinary monster  of  cruelty.  But  this,  I  now  perceive,  was  a  mis- 
take. The  Roman  emperors  were,  comparatively,  a  tolerant  set 
of  rulers,  and  will  compare  advantageously  with  many  sovereigns 
who  have  borne  the  Christian  name.  Their  lives  whiten  into  virtue, 
when  brought  into  comparison  with  a  great  number  of  bloated 
sinners, ,  who  have  been  called  Christian  kings  and  emperors, 
"  dressed  up  in  a  little  brief  authority."  They  stand  on  the  vant- 
age ground  when  compared  with  Henry  VIII.,  of  England,  Francis 
I.,  of  France,  and  Philip  II.,  of  Spain.*  These  men  lived  among 
the  influences  of  Christian  light ;  and  we  cannot  plead  for  them  the 
darkness  of  Heathenism  to  excuse  their  sins.  But  do  not  understand 
me  to  extenuate  the  outrageous  persecutions  of  the  Roman  empire. 
I  am  far  from  saying  one  word  to  excuse  or  even  palliate  persecu- 
tion. I  hate  it  in  all  its  forms,  even  when  it  assumes  the  milder  forma 
of  wit  and  ridicule ;  but  most  especially  do  I  abhor  it  when  it  re- 
sorts to  the  prison,  the  chain,  and  the  fire.  0,  the  insufferable 
guilt  and  madness  of  persecution  !  It  is  to  my  mind  the  brightest 
feature  of  the  present  era,  that  religious  persecutions  are  subsiding 
or  becoming  powerless.  There  is  a  conviction  coming  into  the 
minds  of  men,  in  all  enlightened  countries,  that  no  earthly  power 
shall  interpose  between  a  man's  conscience  and  his  Maker.  This 
is  one  of  the  most  cheering  auguries  of  coming  peace  and  happiness 
to  mankind.  It  is  the  saffron  penciling  on  the  rim  of  the  eastern 
horizon,  that  indicates  the  rising  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  over 
the  earth . 

You  must  pardon  this  long  and,  I  fear,  uninteresting  letter  ;  but 
the  subject  has  deeply  interested  my  feelings. 
Faithfully  yours, 

T.    WOODBRIDGE. 

*I  am  particularly  impressed  with  the  example  of  Philip  II.,  which  I 
now  add  to  the  other  examples,  while  copying  this  letter  for  the  press, 
having  just  risen  from  Prescott's  masterly  narration  of  the  cold-hearted, 
savage,  and  relentless  persecutions  of  that  monarch,  which,  in  the  judg- 
ment of  this  great  historian,  sprang  from  the  maddening  influence  of 
bigotry,  urged  to  the  utmost  fanaticism  by  a  perverted  conscience. 


A  BLIND   MINISTER.  133 

Andover,  March  3,  1814. 

My  Very  Dear  Brother,  —  I  have  been  engaged  in  some  studies 
of  late  with  a  talented  and  learned  classmate,  some  account  of 
which,  I  am  sure,  will  interest  you.  I  have  been  investigating  the 
scenes  in  the  life  of  Christ  which  are  recorded  by  the  Evangelists. 
I  have  long  designed  to  make  these  scenes  more  familiar  to  my 
mind.  I  wanted  to  invest  them  with  reality,  and  impart  to  them 
home  touches.  Though  my  faith  has  always  grasped  the  truth  of 
these  scenes,  they  have  seemed  to  my  imagination  like  splendid 
idealities.  1  have  tried  to  be  at  home  among  the  Jews,  and  mix 
myself  up  with  the  spectators  of  the  domestic  and  public  life  of 
Christ.  I  read  everything  that  could  help  me  to  understand  the 
ideas,  manners,  customs,  and  habitudes  of  thought  and  feeling  of  the 
Hebrew  race,  that  I  might  enter  into  their  sympathies,  and  see  and 
hear  Christ  with  the  eyes  and  cars  of  a  native  of  Judea. 

We  used  the  Greek  text  as  our  guide,  and  availed  ourselves  of 
any  translations  that  could  help  us.  In  the  present  state  of  my 
biblical  knowledge,  I  consider  Campbell's  translation  of  the  four 
Gospels,  on  the  whole,  the  best  in  our  language. 

In  scrutinizing  the  Jewish  mind  and  character,  I  have  been  con- 
siderably struck  with  their  shrewdness  of  understanding.  They 
seem  to  me  to  have  been  the  Yankees  of  antiquity.  I  like  the 
ancient  Jews,  in  some  respects,  better  than  before  these  investiga- 
tions. They  seem  to  me  to  have  been  imbued  more  with  home-bred 
feelings,  and  the  sacredness  of  the  family  relation,  than  any  other 
people  of  antiquity.  These  peculiarities  I  ascribe  to  the  fact  that 
they  enjoyed  a  revelation  from  Heaven,  while  the  mist  of  idolatry 
darkened  all  other  nations.  I  think  we  shall  find  by  observation 
that  a  community  becomes  shrewd  and  intelligent,  and  improved  in 
domestic  character,  a  good  deal  in  proportion  to  their  familiarity 
with  the  Bible.  The  facts  and  truths  of  God's  revelation  have  an 
expanding,  stimulating,  and  meliorating  effect  on  the  mind.  "  The 
entrance  of  thy  Word  giveth  light." 

In  our  studies  into  the  scenes  of  Christ's  life,  we  ventured  to 
invent  conversations  that  might  have  transpired  among  the  persons 
who  surrounded  the  Saviour,  and  between  them  and  the  Master 
himself.  Some  such  conversations  probably  occurred,  and  others 
are  only  conjectural,  which  we  designed  to  have  in  keeping  with 
the  persons  concerned.     We  have  had  great  delight  in  these  studies. 

12 


134  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

The  domestic  scenes  in  the  life  of  Jesus,  and  many  of  his  country- 
men, we  spread  out  in  a  manner  that  made  us  feel  very  much  at 
home  in  Judea  eighteen  hundred  years  ago. 

We  knew  that  the  ground  was  sacred  ;  but  we  trode  with  rever- 
ent steps,  and  were  fascinated  as  well  as  awed  with  our  position. 
Subjects  of  this  kind  ought  to  be  talked  over  with  our  children  and 
young  persons,  to  make  them  familiar  with  the  most  touching  and 
momentous  parts  of  the  Bible.  The  incidents  in  the  life  of  Christ 
are  stupendous,  and  his  instructions  original  and  infinitely  superior 
to  anything  the  world  had  ever  heard  before.  I  want  this  part 
of  God's  revelation  to  be  as  familiar  to  me  as  household  words, 
that  it  may  dwell  in  my  memory,  and  enlighten  and  warm  the 
depths  of  my  heart  every  day. 

We  cannot  be  grateful  enough  for  the  possession  of  the  four 
Gospels. 

******* 

Sincerely,  your  brother, 

T.    WOODBRIDGE. 

Below  I  make  a  few  extracts  from  letters  to  my 
sister,  Mrs.  Lester. 

Stoczbridge,  May  21, 1812. 

*  *  *  *  It  will  be  interesting  to  you,  I  presume,  to  hear  of 
another  golden  shower  that  has  descended  upon  Divinity  College. 
That  excellent  old  gentleman,  Mr.  Abbott,  who  several  years  ago 
gave  $20,000  to  found  the  professorship  of  divinity,  died  last  week, 
and  bequeathed  all  his  fortune,  except  $24,000,  to  this  institution  ; 
and  it  is  understood  that  his  property  turns  out  to  amount  to  as 
much  as  $100,000.  This  bequest,  in  addition  to  his  former  dona- 
tion, makes  him  the  greatest  benefactor  of  the  Seminary.  The 
gold  and  the  silver  are  the  Lord's,  and  he  seems  at  present  to  be 
employing  them  for  the  benefit  and  extension  of  his  church. 


Andover,  February  13,  1813. 
My  Very  Dear  Sister,  —  *     *     *     *     *     in  regard  to  Stock- 
bridge,  the  dispensations  of  Providence  are  striking  and  afiecting. 
They  are  checkered  with  the  rays  of  grace  and  the  clouds  of  afflic- 
tion.   Of  the  death  of  Judge  Sedgwick,  our  old  friend  and  neigh- 


A  BLIND   MINISTER.  135 

bor,  you  have  heard.  You  have  also  probably  seen  the  accounts  of 
his  funeral  in  the  Boston  papers.  In  one  of  these  there  has  been  an 
outline  of  his  life,  and  a  graphic  and  fine  painting  of  his  character. 
I  was  present  at  the  funeral,  which  was  attended,  with  every  demon- 
stration of  respect,  by  the  government  of  the  State  and  the  inhab- 
itants of  Boston.  The  legislature  adjourned,  and  all  the  branches 
of  the  government  were  present  in  their  order.  The  municipal 
authorities  attended,  with  their  badges  of  office  draped  in  mourning. 

The  Judge  died  on  Sunday  night.  On  Monday  morning,  from 
respect  to  his  memory,  the  Supreme  Court,  as  soon  as  it  was 
opened,  adjourned  until  Thursday,  the  day  after  the  funeral.  Mr. 
Watson,  the  Judge's  son-in-law,  from  New  York,  came  suddenly 
into  my  room  on  Tuesday  morning.  My  apprehensions  were  excited 
the  moment  he  entered  my  door ;  for  1  had  been  expecting  every 
day  to  hear  of  the  death  of  the  Judge.  This  dreadful  expectation, 
he  told  me,  was  fulfilled ;  and  he  requested  me  to  go  with  him  to 
Boston  to  attend  the  funeral. 

I  went,  and  found  such  a  scene  of  woe  as  I  never  before  witnessed  ; 
for  you  know  the  Judge's  domestic  character  was  exceedingly  affec- 
tionate, and  he  threw  a  flood  of  love  around  his  household.  On 
this  occasion,  they  were  all  broken-hearted.  Poor  Charles  was 
pressed  down  to  the  earth.  Their  deep  and  convulsive  grief  I  can 
never  recollect  without  shivering,  and  it  will  never  fade  from  my 
memory. 

I  spent  the  evening  before  and  after  the  funeral  with  the  family. 
It  was  a  mournful  satisfaction  to  me  to  be  with  them  on  this  occa- 
sion, and  to  join  in  demonstrations  of  respect  to  a  man  who  has 
been  one  of  my  best  friends. 

Mr.  Sedgwick  was  a  great  and  honest  statesman.  His  country 
honored  him  greatly  ;  but  "  Low  now  lies  the  head  that  was  cov- 
ered with  honor." 

I  enjoy  here  every  facility  for  the  cultivation  of  wisdom  and 
virtue  ;  and  great  will  be  my  crime  if  I  do  not  make  some  respeta- 
ble  advances  in  these  heavenly  acquisitions.  I  preach  a  considerable 
part  of  the  time,  and  have  lately  exercised  myself  very  frequently 
in  this  way  at  Boston.  Last  Friday  I  preached  a  lecture  ;  and  on 
Sunday  again  I  preached  in  Brattle  Square,  where  the  famous  Buck- 
minster  was  minister.  ***** 
Yours  faithfully, 

T.    WOODBRIDGE. 


136  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

(to   my   brother,   J.  WOODBRIDGE,   ESQ.) 

Preston,  June  16,  1818. 

My  Dear  Brother,  —  I  suppose  I  may  lay  it  down  as  a  certain 
truth,  and  one  which  has  all  the  evidence  of  an  axiom,  that  you 
want  to  hear  from  me  and  your  sons,  who  accompanied  me  to  this 
place ;  and,  as  it  is  a  rainy  day,  I  will  light  up  the  gloom  of  it  by 
writing  a  few  lines  to  you.  Saturday  afternoon  we  came  to  Hebron, 
and  spent  Sunday,  where  I  preached,  passing  a  very  tranquil  and 
agreeable  Sabbath  in  a  sober,  rural,  Connecticut  parish. 

We  arrived  here  Monday  evening  ;  found  them  all  well  and  glad 
to  see  us.  I  shall,  I  believe,  be  driven  to  all  the  shifts  of  my  in- 
vention to  furnish  employment  for  the  boys,  that  will  innocently 
occupy  and  amuse  their  minds  till  we  go  away.  They  have  a  super- 
abundance of  health,  strength,  spirit,  and  activity,  which  must  be 
expended  in  some  way  or  other  ;  and  the  great  point  is,  to  provide 
Bco-pe  for  their  expenditure  in  some  innocent  and  useful  way.  Idle- 
ness, I  maintain,  withers  the  mind  and  body  ;  and  action,  when  it 
is  employed  in  the  ways  of  mischief,  if  it  is  not  incomparably  worse 
to  the  individual,  is  vastly  worse  to  society.  The  journey,  I  think, 
will  be  of  great  benefit  to  the  boys.  It  will  enlarge  their  ideas, 
and  teach  them  to  form  juster  estimates  of  many  things. 

This  town  exhibits,  at  present,  a  sombre  aspect.  All  the  gentle- 
men with  whom  I  associated,  when  I  heretofore  visited  the  place, 
are  now  at  New  London.  The  whole  of  the  militia,  embracing 
almost  every  young  and  middle-aged  man,  has  been  drawn  away. 
The  only  persons  I  can  visit  here  are  ladies,  and  they  are  visited 
with  those  inconvenient  companions,  anxiety  and  apprehension. 

I  this  moment  conversed  with  an  officer  who  came  from  New 
London.  He  says  that  no  collision,  or  anything  new,  has  taken 
place  there.  The  British  are  constantly  in  plain  sight,  and  some- 
times they  make  soundings  along  the  shore,  and  sail  along  up,  dis- 
playing an  unwelcome  spectacle  to  our  brave  but  unpractised 
militia.  There  are  now  three  or  four  linc-of-battle  ships  and  two 
frigates  on  the  side  of  the  enemy.  Our  frigates,  which  are  strong 
and  valorous,  but  few  in  number,  have  gone  up  the  river  as  far  as 
Gale's  Ferry,  four  miles  above  New  London,  and  they  can  ascend  no 
higher. 

This  region  is  a  scene  of  great  excitement,  and  I  am  painfully 
overshadowed  by  the  vicinity  of  the  war.     The  effects  of  this  war 


A  BLIND  MINISTER.  137 

have  now  come  home  to  the  "bosoms  and  business"  of  the  people. 
They  execrate  it,  as  it  draws  away  so  great  a  proportion  of  their 
men  from  agricultural  pursuits  to  services  of  danger. 

What  mountainous  guilt  must  rest  upon  the  men  who  rule  the 
destinies  of  nations,  and  plunge  their  countries  into  unnecessary 
war.  We  often  hear  political  writers  and  statesmen  in  Congress 
talk  very  menacingly  about  men  in  high  places  who  adopt  mis- 
chievous measures.  They  talk  about  standing  by  the  measures,  and 
when  they  are  over,  calling  the  men  who  projected  them  to  a  strict 
account.  This  kind  of  talk  is  very  common,  and  I  am  sick  of  it. 
It  is  all  humbug.  I  have  never  known,  in  the  history  of  our  coun- 
try, men  called  to  such  strict  account.  There  is  no  judgment-seat 
in  this  world  for  great  sinners,  but  in  history.  That  keeps  a  judg- 
ment-seat ;  but  before  its  utterances  are  delivered,  the  subjects  of 
them  are  gone  to  their  account  before  the  great  tribunal  of  the 
Ruler  of  nations.  What  a  monstrous  incongruity  is  presented  at 
New  London !  The  officers  and  men  of  the  British  ships,  and  our 
soldiers,  are  civilized  and  humane  men  ;  have  no  personal  dislikes, 
and  no  fancied  wrongs,  to  avenge;  and  yet  they  are  watching 
every  opportunity  to  do  each  other  all  the  harm  they  can. 

^lay  God,  in  his  infinite  mercy,  send  us  peace. 
Your  brother, 

T.    WOODBRIDGE. 
(to   MRS.    L .) 

Andover,  December  2, 1813. 

Mv  Dear  Sister,  —  My  residence  here  is  at  present  as  agreeable 
and  profitable  as  at  any  preceding  period.  You  may,  perhaps, 
think  that  I  spend  a  long  time  in  the  study  of  my  profession  ;  but 
I  am  sure  I  shall  never  regret  it.  It  is  no  trifling  task  to  form  such 
mental  habits,  and  lay  up  such  treasures  of  knowledge,  as  will 
enable  me,  like  a  "  good  householder,  to  bring  forth  things  new 
and  old." 

Education  is  not  such  a  superficial  and  easy  thing  as  it  has  been 
made  and  considered  by  most  of  our  countrymen.  I  do  not  mean, 
by  these  remarks,  to  make  the  most  distant  insinuation  that  I  shall 
rise  to  any  very  superior  attainments  ;  but  let  my  own  example  be 
ever  so  imperfect,  I  believe  I  have  formed  tolerably  just  ideas  of 
what  a  professional  education  ought  to  be. 
12* 


138  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

This  Seminary  undoubtedly  comprises  more  advantages  for  theo- 
logical study  than  any  other  place  to  which  I  can  have  access.  And 
what  object,  then,  ought  to  tempt  me  to  surrender  my  situation 
here?  What  pursuit  can  be  more  dignified  than  the  study  of  wis- 
dom and  virtue?  Some  gross  sons  of  earth,  indeed,  would  think  it 
a  much  more  eligible  employment  to  scrape-  together  riches ;  but 
riches  are  certainly  quite  as  shadowy  objects  as  intellectual  endow- 
ments, and  they  are  more  uncertain  and  transient.  Besides,  as 
doing  good  is  the  great  object  of  life,  the  man  of  intellectual  power 
can  be  as  extensively  useful —  can  do  as  much  to  advance  the  amend- 
ment and  happiness  of  the  world,  as  he  who  can  scatter  around  him 
showers  of  gold.  All  our  possessions,  whether  internal  or  external, 
are  vain  ;  they  are  even  worse  than  vain,  they  are  ruinous,  when 
they  are  not  sanctified.  Let  us,  then,  whether  we  gather  the  flow- 
ers or  fruits  of  literature,  or  any  other  worldly  good,  consecrate 
them  at  the  foot  of  the  cross. 

I  understand  that  it  is  expected  that  our  young  friend  and  rela- 
tive. Miss ,  goes  to  Stockbridge  to  pass  some  time.     By  the 

way,  I  was  astonished  to  find  her  so  vastly  improved.  Indeed,  I 
don't  know  so  interesting  and  brilliant  a  girl  of  her  age.  The 
sound  of  her  voice  is  magic  to  my  ear.  There  is  in  it  a  pensive  elo- 
quence, which  is  subduing  to  the  feelings.  She  attracts,  I  believe, 
every  eye  that  beholds  her.  I  am  very  solicitous  that  her  education 
should  be  well  taken  care  of,  and  that  it  should  be  as  advantageous 
to  her  as  possible.  It  is  a  pity  that  such  fine  materials  should  not 
have  imjtarted  to  them  the  highest  polish. 

I  am  afraid  that  her  moral  feelings  have  not  been  sufficiently 
cultivated.  There  is  nothing  very  delightful  to  my  fancy  in  a  girl 
whose  moral  sense  is  not  warm  and  discriminate  —  who  does  not 
make  quick  and  heartfelt  distinctions  between  right  and  wrong. 
"  A  fine  woman  without  discretion"  (that  is,  moral  judgment), 
"  is  like  a  jewel  of  gold  in  a  swine's  snout. 

Yours  faithfully, 

T.    WOODBRIDGE. 


A  BLIND   MINISTER.  139 

(to  the  same.) 

Andover,  January  18,  1814. 

My  Dear  Sister,  —  Your  kind  letter  gave  me  no  small  gratifica- 
tion ;  it  revived  my  spirits,  and  revived  all  the  charities  of  friend- 
eliip  and  kindred.  You  and  I  have  passed  a  considerable  part  of  our 
lives  in  the  same  scenes,  and  it  is  natural  that  our  living  so  much 
together  should  have  produced  uncommon  endearment.  I  hear  from 
Stockbridge  very  often  ;  and  you  may  rely  on  my  communicating  to 
you  everything  new  or  strange  that  I  hear  from  our  Berkshire 
friends. 

Great  revolutions  have  taken  place  in  the  family  of  our  Uncle 
Edwards ;  indeed,  change  is  an  attribute  of  all  earthly  things. 
"The  fashion  of  this  world  passeth  away."  This  is  a  powerful 
reason  for  detaching  our  affections  from  the  shifting  shadows  of  the 
world,  and  fixing  them  on  those  spiritual  objects  which  are  perma- 
nent and  immutable. 

By  frequent  recurrence  to  the  great  objects  of  our  faith,  and  by 
acts  of  direct  communion  with  our  Maker,  we  shall  gradually 
gain  an  elevation  above  the  world.  The  Spirit  of  God  has  told  us, 
what  every  heart  must  echo,  that  the  objects  of  this  world  cannot 
fulfil  the  grasp  of  an  immortal  soul.  This  great  Spirit  also  unfolds 
to  our  view  a  set  of  grand  objects,  which  are  denominated  "  things 
above."  These  objects  are  the  perfect  knowledge,  holiness,  love, 
and  glory  of  heaven,  the  favor  of  our  Maker,  the  employments  of 
the  glorified  state,  and  the  exalted  communion  of  kindred  spirits. 

The  Bible  gives  us  a  broad  outline  of  these  objects,  and  then 
commands  us  to  set  our  affections  on  things  above  ;  and  assures  us, 
on  the  oath  of  Infinite  veracity,  that  we  shall  not  lose  the  objects 
of  faith  and  hope. 

The  information  from  Europe  must  be  to  your  husband  as  "  good 
news  from  a  far  country."  I  presume  his  health  and  spirits  im- 
prove upon  it.  I  think  there  are  two  hopeful  features  in  the  polit- 
ical condition  of  the  civilized  world.  One  is,  that  there  is  a  pros- 
pect that  the  dangerous  power  of  France  will  be  crippled  ;  and  the 
other  is,  the  hope  that  peace  will  soon  be  restored  to  our  bleeding 
country.  ^May  God  extinguish  the  meteors  of  war  which  glare 
over  us.  =»*###** 

Adieu. 

T.  Woodbridge. 


140  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

(to  the  same.) 
Theological  Seminary,  April  10,  1814. 

*  *  *  *  I  am  now  in  the  hurry  of  preparation  for  a  jaunt 
to  Gloucester.  I  must  therefore  confine  mj  letter  to  a  narrow  limit. 
A  few  days  ago  I  received  a  pressing  application  from  the  Com- 
mittee of  the  First  Congregational  Society  at  Gloucester,  to  come 
and  preach  for  them.  I  have  engaged  to  supply  their  pulpit  the 
second  and  third  Sundays  in  April.  I  hope  so  unlucky  an  adventure 
will  not  happen  to  me  as  befel  a  clergyman  who  was  preaching 
there  last  summer.  Just  as  he  was  closing  his  first  prayer,  a  British 
ship  of  war  chased  in  a  vessel,  which  ran  aground  at  the  edge  of 
the  harbor,  and  was  immediately  attempted  to  be  cut  out  by  the 
enemy.  The  British  were  fired  upon  from  the  fort.  They,  how- 
ever, returned  the  fire  with  tenfold  fury.  By  this  time  the  wor- 
shipping assembly  was  panic-struck  and  fled,  together  with  their 
minister,  from  the  house  of  God,  which  was  in  an  exposed  situation. 
An  appalling  reminiscence  rushed  in  upon  the  minds  of  the  congre- 
gation of  an  incident  which  happened  in  the  revolutionary  war. 
While  the  congregation  was  worshipping,  a  British  ship  fired  a  can- 
non ball  through  the  wall  of  the  church,  which  terrified  and  broke 
up  the  assembly.  This  cannon  ball  was  kept  as  a  relic,  and  was 
shown  to  me. 

On  the  recent  occasion  referred  to,  the  trembling  wife  of  the  min- 
ister could  not  prevail  with  herself  to  remain  in  Gloucester,  which 
she  thought  would  be  beaten  down  over  the  heads  of  the  inhabi- 
tants. The  good  husband,  therefore,  was  compelled  to  take  a  car- 
riage to  convey  away  his  afirighted  wife,  and  in  pursuing  his 
journey  out  of  town ,  was  obliged  to  take  a  path  where  the  balls  of 
the  enemy  were  flying  thickly. 

The  British  have  not  numerous  ships  in  the  bay,  but  some  of  them 
are  very  formidable.  I  am  pleased  with  going  at  this  very  time,  as 
I  am  delighted,  you  know,  with  being  in  the  neighborhood  of  great 
things,  even  though  great  things  should  be  slightly  connected  with 
danger. 

I  am  now  treading  on  the  verge  of  my  residence  here.  I  go  to 
Stockbridge  in  company  with  my  noble  friend,  Sedgwick ;  but  it 
will  not  be  in  my  power  to  make  the  journey  through  Connecticut, 
although  nothing  would  give  me  more  pleasure  than  such  an 
arrangement.    I  shall  delay  my  visit  to  you  till  the  hurry  of  a  Pres- 


A  BLIND  MINISTER.  141 

ton  summer,  which  will  forever  dwell  in  my  memory,  has  gone 
past.  You  are  large  and  enterprising  farmers  in  Preston  ;  and  I 
shall  always  remember  the.  hot  haste  and  pressure  I  observed  among 
the  people,  when  I  had  the  misfortune  and  amusement  of  being  caught 
there  in  the  height  of  ingathering.  You  may,  then,  expect  me  in 
the  autumn. 

I  am  anxious,  my  dear  sister,  that  you  should  ascertain  whether 

Miss    M II is  courted.     A   vague  and  accidental  rumor 

of  that  kind  is  afloat.  You  can  easily  find  out  by  inquiring  of  your 
Norwich  friends.  You  can  certainly  find  out  whether  there  is  any- 
thing known  or  notorious  on  the  subject.  I  wish  you  would  give 
me  tolerably  accurate  information  in  regard  to  this  ajffair,  before  I 
leave  this  place.  In  this  inquiry,  I  have,  of  course,  no  reference  to 
myself,  or  to  any  member  of  this  Seminary  ;  but  another  friend  of 
mine,  a  gentleman  of  high  distinction  and  brilliant  promise,  desired 
me  to  do  him  the  kindness  to  make  the  inquiry.  This  is  a  very  im- 
portant and  interesting  affair,  and  a  great  deal  depends  on  the 


Yours  faithfully, 


T.    WOODBRIDGE. 


(to  the  same.) 

Theolooical  Seminary,  Andover,  April  28,  1814. 

#  #  #  #  *  #  # 

I  take  the  stage  to-morrow  for  Boston,  where  I  shall  remain  six 
days,  and  then  go  on,  accompanied  by  my  special  friend,  H.  D. 
Sedgwick,  to  our  native  village.  My  departure  from  this  place  will 
be  final.  I  have  already  spent  a  sufficient  portion  of  my  life  within 
the  walls  of  a  college.  Our  duties  lie  amongst  our  fellow-creatures, 
and  there,  too,  are  our  pleasures.  It  is  in  the  mingled  intercourse 
of  varied  life  that  some  of  the  most  valuable  principles  of  our  na- 
ture are  brought  into  action  and  polished. 

I  shall  now  plunge  into  life,  and  endeavor  to  impart  some  pleas- 
ure, and  some  benefit,  to  those  who  may  be  within  my  reach.  I 
shall  always  keep  my  heart  open  to  the  access  of  every  good  im- 
pression and  every  innocent  enjoyment.  Perhaps  I  may  be  per- 
mitted to  say,  without  arrogance,  that  Providence  has  committed  to 


142  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

my  stewardship  some  means  of  doing  good  to  others ;  and  those 
means  it  will  be  the  business  of  my  life  to  cultivate  and  employ. 
I  hope,  however,  that  I  shall  be  always,  deeply  impressed  with  a 
feeling  of  dependence  on  my  Maker  for  the  exercise  of  my  faculties 
and  the  success  of  their  application. 

Leaving  this  Seminary  fills  my  mind,  as  you  will  easily  imagine, 
with  seriousness,  and  even  sadness.  Sam.  Johnson  somewhere  re- 
marks, that  we  part  for  the  last  time  with  sadness  from  anything 
ihat  it  is  not  purely  evil,  particularly  that  has  long  been  mixed  up 
with  the  web  of  life.  This  Institution,  if  it  is  not  purely  good,  has 
as  small  an  admixture  of  evil  as  anything  of  human  production. 

During  my  residence  here,  my  character  has  undergone  a  consid- 
erable change.  I  have  strengthened  my  habits  of  study,  and  made 
some  acquisitions  in  learning,  which  will  give  a  new  coloring  to 
the  remainder  of  my  life.  Indeed,  this  school  of  the  prophets  is 
associated  in  my  mind  with  some  of  my  most  interesting  recollec- 
tions, and  some  of  my  most  brilliant  and  gratifying  hopes. 

My  emotions  on  leaving  this  place  are  such  as  I  cannot  describe. 
The  ties  of  friendship  which  bind  me  to  several  persons  here, 
and  the  sacred  sympathies  of  religion  which  subsist  between  us, 
cannot  be  broken  without  producing  much  suffering.  But  I  will 
detain  you  no  longer  on  this  subject. 


Adieu. 


T.    WOODBRIDGE. 


(to  the  same.) 

Stockbridge,  June  14,  1814. 

Last  Sabbath  I  preached  at  Pittsfield.  After  preaching  in  both 
churches,  I  went,  in  company  with  Mr.  Allen,  the  superintendent, 
to  the  cantonment,  where  I  made  a  talk  to  the  prisoners  of  war, 
from  the  piazza  of  the  prison-house.  The  captives  who  composed 
my  audience  were  several  hundred  in  number,  and  were  arranged 
in  the  most  exact  order  in  front  of  the  piazza,  and  were  very 
silent,  serious,  and  respectful.  Every  eye  (I  was  told)  was  fixed 
upon  me.  The  occasion  was  highly  interesting,  and  few  of  my 
professional  acts  have  afforded  me  equal  pleasure.  I  felt  very  sorry 
for  these  poor  fellows.     They  were  exiles  in  a  strange  land,  far  from 


A  BLIND  MINISTER.  143 

homo  and  friends ;  and  I  never  made  a  more  earnest  effort  to  im- 
part the  consolations  of  the  gospel.      The   inmost  depths  of  my 
feelings  were  enlisted  in  trying  to  do  good  to  these  captives.  *      * 
Adieu. 

T.    WOODBRIDGE. 

(to   TUE   SAiME.) 

Springfield,  August  29,  1814. 
My  Dear  Sister,  — You  will  be  surprised  to  see  a  letter  dated  at 
this  place.  I  came  here  last  Saturday,  to  visit  the  circle  of  our 
Hampshire  friends.  Here,  you  know,  along  the  broad  valley  of  the 
Connecticut,  were  the  seats  of  our  ancestors ;  and  these  places  are 
full  of  hallowed  associations  and  memories.  On  Sunday  I  preached 
here  all  day,  and  last  night  I  spent  at  the  house  of  that  most  de- 
lightful man,  Col.  Thomas  Dwight.  He  gathered  a  party  of 
friends  at  tea  to  meet  me.  It  was  the  tlite  of  the  place,  and  the 
evening  was  taken  up  in  the  most  agreeable  conversation. 

#**##♦* 

To-day  I  go  on  my  way  to  Northampton,  to  visit  our  friends  in 
that  ancient  and  famous  village.  There  Edwards  lifted  up  his 
mighty  voice  and  left  his  giant  footprints. 

I  allotted  five  or  six  days  to  this  jaunt,  and  shall  accomplish  the 
round  of  my  visits  and  get  home  in  that  time.  I  was  so  long  shut 
up  at  Andover  that  I  am  glad  to  allow  myself  a  little  time  for 
jaunting  about  and  visiting.  But  I  intermingle  a  good  deal  of 
earnest  preaching  with  my  movements ;  and  although,  my  dear 
sister,  my  life  may  seem  to  you  a  detached  pilgrimage,  I  devote, 
almost  every  day,  some  hours  to  study,  and  some,  I  hope,  to  severe 
meditation. 

But  the  journey  of  life  will  soon  be  over,  and  I  am  not  anxious 
to  delay  its  progress  or  prolong  its  course.  Imperfectly  fitted  as  I 
am  for  entering  a  new  state  of  being,  it  gives  me  no  sadness  to  re- 
flect on  the  rapid  flight  of  time,  or  on  the  end  of  life.  This  life, 
when  disconnected  from  a  future  one,  seems  to  me  an  object  of  little 
value  ;  its  best  enjoyments  and  pursuits  are  "  weary,  flat,  and  un- 
profitable." Do  not,  I  beg  of  you,  think,  from  these  reflections, 
that  I  am  visited  with  a  fit  of  sadness,  or  that  my  spirits  are  de- 
pressed. The  very  contrary  is  the  fact.  My  health  and  spirits 
were  never  better  than  they  now  are,  and  my  life,  I  believe,  is  more 


144  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF 

happy  than  the  lives  of  most  of  my  fellow-creatures.     But  human 
life  in  its  best  estate  is  mere  shadow  and  mockery.      #      *      *      # 
Your  brother, 

t.  woodbridge. 

(to  the  same.) 

Stockbridge,  November  24,  1814. 
*  #  *  *  .    *  #  * 

We  have  yet  in  town,  and  probably  shall  have  till  peace  is  pro- 
claimed, twenty  or  thirty  British  officers.  They  behave  very  civilly, 
and  give  us  no  disturbance.  A  few  of  the  first  families  of  the  vil- 
lage have  several  times  invited  them  to  their  tables.  They  seem 
disposed  to  mingle  in  the  society  of  the  place,  and  conduct  them- 
selves in  a  delicate  and  gentlemanly  manner.  One  of  them,  an 
English  captain,  of  a  proud  family,  and  highly  educated,  is  my 
constant  reader  in  theology.  I  find  him  very  useful,  and  he  gen- 
erously offers  to  employ  as  much  of  his  time  in  reading  and  writing 
for  me  as  I  wish. 

This  will  be  a  good  reminiscence  for  him  t6  talk  over  when  he 
gets  home  ;  and  it  is  a  curious  incident,  that  I  should  have  one 
of  Wellington's  dashing  officers  to  write  sermons  for  me. 

I  am  wearied,  my  dear  sister,  with  your  long  silence.  It  is  an 
unhallowed  business  to  weaken  or  tear  asunder  the  bonds  of  kin- 
dred. There  are  no  people,  I  believe,  in  the  world  who  are  so 
much  in  the  habit  of  separating  from  friends  and  kindred,  and 
wandering  off  to  a  returnless  distance  from  all  that  was  once  dear 
to  the  heart,  as  the  people  of  this  country.  Strangers  notice  this  ; 
but  it  should  not  be  set  down  against  us.  It  does  not  prove  any 
want  of  sensibility,  because  it  inevitably  arises  from  our  vast  and 
undeveloped  territory,  which  presents  on  a  broad  scale  great  at- 
tractions to  the  pursuers  of  fortune  and  distinction.  An  ambitious 
young  man,  in  the  older  parts  of  the  country,  expects,  by  emigrat- 
ing to  the  boundless  valley  of  the  Mississippi,  to  grow  ujd  in  wealth 
and  importance  with  the  new  region  where  he  plants  himself ;  and 
so  he  breaks  up  and  hies  away  to  the  goal  that  glitters  in  his 
view. 

But  during  the  remaining  years  which  God  allots  us,  let  us  sus- 
tain an  intercourse  of  friendship  and  affection.  If  it  cannot  be 
personal,  let  it  be  epistolary.     By  the  sacred  names  of  kindred  and 


A  BLIND   MINISTER.  145 

charity,  let  us  support  an  unbroken  interchange  of  endearments,  in 

some  form  or  otlier. 

Yours  faitlifully, 

T.    WOODBRIDGE. 


(to   MRS.    LESTER.) 

Stockbridge,  September  20,  1815. 

Mv  Dear  Sister,  —  I  have  just  returned  from  New  York,  where 
I  staid  seven  weeks.  My  residence  in  that  city  was  very  pleasant, 
and  in  two  or  three  weeks  I  shall  return  there,  to  pass  the  winter 
in  preaching. 

Stockbridge  is  a  delightful  place  to  me,  as  it  is,  I  believe,  to  all 
the  people  whom  it  has  produced  ;  and  I  regret  that  I  cannot  re- 
main here.  It  is  warmed  to  my  feelings,  and  covered  over  to  my 
mind,  with  a  vast  number  of  tender  and  hallowed  recollections; 
but  it  does  not  seem  to  be  the  sphere  which  Providence  has  allotted 
me.  I  cannot  here  discharge  the  great  business  of  life,  and  I  must, 
therefore,  go  to  other  scenes. 

My  life,  for  two  or  three  years  past,  has  been  animated,  happy, 
and  prosperous.  The  ways  of  Providence  with  me  have  been  such 
as  are  calculated  to  inspire  confidence  in  the  Power  which  presides 
over  my  path.  I  press  to  my  heart  the  past  mercies  of  Providence, 
as  pledges  of  its  future  favor.  But  that  faith  must  be  fitful  and 
dangerous  which  can  confide  in  God  only  in  bright  and  sunny  days, 
and  withholds  its  trust  in  seasons  of  darkness  and  desolation. 

The  husbandman  who  thinks  God  is  his  friend  when  the  luxuriant 
harvest  is  ripening  to  his  sickle,  and  thinks  his  way  is  hid  from 
the  Lord  when  the  tempest  sweeps  down  his  wheat-field,  has  but  a 
very  poor  faith,  or  rather  no  faith  at  all.  Such  a  man  "  walks  by 
sight  and  not  by  faith."  Let  us  pray  that  our  faith  may  be 
strengthened,  that  our  trust  in  God  may  have  a  controlling  influ- 
ence over  our  minds.  I  grow  firmer  and  stronger  in  my  grasp  on  the 
invisible  world.  It  becomes  clearer  to  the  eye  of  faith ;  earthly 
greatness  loses  some  of  its  splendor,  and  earthly  vanity  some  of  its 
charm. 

Dr.  Mason  has  just  made  his  fourth  annual  visit  to  this  place. 

He  preached  here  last  Sunday,  and,  I  think  surpassed  himself.     It 

was  the  noblest  effort  I  ever  witnessed  in  the  pulpit,     lie  is  a  man 

of  prodigious  capacity,  and,  among  the  clergy,  is  like  Saul  among 

13 


146  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   A   BLIND   MINISTER. 

the  people,  head  and  shoulders  above  everybody  else.  He  some- 
times preaches  indiflFerently  at  home,  and  descends  occasionally  to 
coarseness  and  vulgarity  ;  but  his  unequalled  progress  is  always 
illuminated  at  intervals  with  flashes  of  glory. 

Dr.  Mason  wields  the  thunder-storm,  and  sends  forth  bolts  of 
lightning  like  the  artillery  of  heaven,  but  subsides  from  his  eleva- 
tion sometimes  in  a  rude  and  reckless  manner.  Dr.  Griffin,  also, 
occasionally  gathers  a  thunder-storm,  but  not  so  sublimely  as  Dr, 
M.,  and  descends  from  it  sweetly  to  the  whispering  zephyr. 

I  have  really  rounded  off  my  letter  with  as  many  names  and 
greetings  as  ever  displayed  the  tenderness  of  St.  Paul's  heart  at  the 
close  of  an  epistle.  But  you  will,  I  have  no  doubt,  accept  every 
offering,  even  although  it  be  a  mere  cup  of  cold  water,  if  it  be  ad- 
ministered from  affection. 

Farewell. 

T.   WOODBRIDGE. 


CHAPTER    XL 

MY  RESIDENCE   IN  NEW  YORK. 

Character  of  Dr.  Mason.  —  Notice  of  Rev.  Mr.  Whelpley.  —  Judge  Liv- 
ingston.—  Judge  Story.  —  Funeral  of  a  Poor  Girl. — Amherst  Col- 
lege —  Casual  Conversation  that  led  to  its  Foundation. 

In  March,  1815, 1  wont  to  New  York  for  the  first 
time.  My  visit  to  the  commercial  metropolis  was  an 
incident  of  some  consequence  in  my  history.  I  was 
received  with  unexpected  favor  and  kindness.  The 
Sabbath  after  my  arrival,  I  preached  in  two  of  the 
principal  churches.  My  preaching  and  the  notices 
of  me  in  the  papers  made  some  sensation,  and  I  was 
immediately  engaged  to  sustain  all  the  religious  ser- 
vices there  was  time  for  during  my  stay  in  the  city, 
which  was  about  three  weeks.  During  this  brief  so- 
journ, I  made  acquaintance  with  most  of  the  eminent 
men  of  New  York.  I  saw  a  good  deal  of  Dr.  John 
M.  Mason,  who  was  at  that  time  the  most  distinguished 
minister  in  the  city.  I  had  seen  him  several  times  be- 
fore, at  Stockbridge,  where  he  was  in  the  habit  of 
visiting,  in  the  summer,  the  family  of  the  Sedgwicks. 

Mrs.  Watson,  a  daughter  of  Judge  Sedgwick,  re- 
sided in  New  York,  and  was  a  member  of  Dr.  Mason's 
church.  She  had  an  idolatrous  admiration  of  the  doc- 
tor's talents  and  piety,  and  was  naturally  anxious  that 
her  family  should  make  his  acquaintance.  I  preached 
for  him  several  times  during  my  first  visit  and  my 

047) 


148  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

subsequent  residence  in  New  York.  I  often  dined 
with  him,  and  recollect,  with  perfect  accuracy,  his  de- 
lightful conversation,  some  gleanings  of  which  I  will 
here  relate : 

One  day,  at  a  literary  dinner  at  his  house,  where 
there  were  upwards  of  twenty  distinguished  men  at 
table,  the  conversation  turned  upon  Jeffrey,  the  famous 
editor  of  the  Edinburgh  Review.  Dr.  Mason  very 
soon  indicated  a  violent  dislike  of  the  great  "  Lion  of 
the  North,"  as  Jeffrey  was  called  in  England.  I  in- 
quired of  the  doctor  whether  he  saw  Jeffrey  when  he 
was  in  this  country. 

"  Yes,  sir,"  said  he,  in  a  deep  and  emphatic  tone ; 
"  I  did  see  him,  and  the  more  ungracious  is  my  con- 
dition. If  I  had  known  what  a  mass  of  Edinburgh 
puppyism  > Jeffrey  was,  I  never  should  have  invited 
him  to  my  table  and  the  place  you  now  occupy  at  it. 
Jeffrey  went  home,"  continued  he,  "  and  entered  upon 
his  journal  this  infamous  calumny,  '  There  are  no  gen- 
tlemen in  America.' 

"  I  would  rather  hear  John  Randolph,  of  Roanoke, 
who  was  here  a  short  time  since,  talk  fifteen  minutes 
than  to  hear  all  that  Jeffrey  could  pour  forth  in 
twenty-four  hours. 

"  Gentlemen,"  said  he,  ^'  do  any  of  you  know  whether 
he  saw  George  Cabot  when  he  was  in  Boston  ?  If  he 
did,  he  must  have  been  overawed  by  a  superior  mind. 
There  is  a  lightning  in  George  Cabot's  eye  which 
would  consume  ten  thousand  such  withered  branches 
as  Jeffrey." 

One  morning,  as  I  met  him  on  the  sidewalk,  he 
clapped  his  hand  on  my  shoulder,  and  said,  "  I  want 
you  to  come  and  dine  with  me  to-day,  at  four  o'clock. 


A  BLIND  MINISTER.  149 

I  shall  have  no  company,  and  wo  will  have  a  good 
talk.'' 

We  sat  at  table  from  four  to  ten  o'clock  in  the  even- 
ing ;  and  the  doctor  was  in  his  finest  mood  for  con- 
versation. I  had  often  heard  of  the  rich  flow  of 
London  talk;  but  Dr.  Mason's  conversation  that  eve- 
ning came  fully  up  to  any  conception  I  had  been  able 
to  form  of  London  talk,  from  the  accounts  we  have 
of  it.  He  spoke  of  the  Scotch,  with  whom  he  had 
been  quite  intimate,  as  he  acquired  his  theological 
education  in  Scotland. 

''  The  Scotch  society,"  said  he,  "  developes  the  aris- 
tocratic feature  most  glaringly.  They  are  cringing 
and  servile  towards  their  superiors,  and  insolent  and 
overbearing  towards  those  beneath  them.  They  are 
also  remarkable  for  laying  great  stress  upon  little 
things  in  religion.  Little  matters  that  are  not  worth 
contending  about,  when  compared  with  great  things 
in  religion,  arouse  all  their  passions  and  split  them 
asunder.  The  devil  has  often  taken  a  little  thing  and 
thrown  it  among  the  religionists  of  Scotland  as  a 
bone  of  contention,  and  broke  them  into  little  seces- 
sions and  hostile  camps." 

He  then  spoke  of  a  brighter  phase  in  society.  '^  I 
went  to  Scotland,"  said  he,  "  when  I  was  a  youth  of 
nineteen,  with  narrow  prejudices  clinging  around  me. 
I  thought  that  almost  all  virtue,  sensibility,  and  learn- 
ing were  contained  in  our  own  little  narrow  sect.  I 
was  a  Seceder,  and  had  strong  prejudices  against  the 
church  established  in  Scotland;  but  when  I  arrived 
there  and  began  to  mingle  with  ministers  and  churches, 
I  found  ministers  and  Christians  in  the  Establishment 
of  the  greatest  excellence,  learning,  and  kindness  of 

13* 


150  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF 

heart.  My  prejudices  soon  began  to  drop  off,  and 
my  survey  of  things  beyond  the  frowning  barrier, 
which  encircled  my  sect,  had  a  hberahzing  effect  upon 
my  mind." 

I  turned  the  conversation  on  Gen.  Hamilton,  for 
whom  I  knew  my  host  had  a  great  admiration. 

"  Hamilton,"  said  he,  "  was  a  wonderful  man.  He 
had  not  only  vast  compass,  but  versatility  of  mind ;  he 
could  overwhelm,  with  his  ability  and  eloquence,  the 
most  gifted  minds,  and  enter  into  the  sympathies  of 
the  simplest  and  poorest  man.  Hamilton's  mind," 
said  he,  "was  like  the  proboscis  of  an  elephant  —  it 
could  tear  up  the  mightiest  oak,  and  dissect  the  fila- 
ments of  a  lily. 

"  The  world  has  produced  three  men  very  much 
alike  in  mental  and  physical  structure  —  St.  Paul, 
John  Calvin,  and  Alexander  Hamilton.  They  re- 
sembled each  other  very  much  in  stature  ]  and,  from 
all  we  can  gather  from  pictures  and  tradition,  of  their 
aspects,  movements,  and  bearings,  they  looked  very 
much  alike.  I  have  no  doubt,  if  we  could  see  them  all 
three  together,  we  should  suppose  they  were  brothers, 
born  at  one  birth,  down  in  Connecticut,  where  three 
children  at  a  birth  is  not  an  uncommon  event." 

Dr.  Mason  was  considered  a  particularly  sagacious 
judge  of  a  horse.  A  brother  minister  in  New  York, 
intending  to  purchase  a  horse  for  his  own  use, 
stopped  the  doctor  on  the  sidewalk  to  ask  his  opin- 
ion. After  a  scrutinizing  look,  he  pointed  to  the 
knees  of  the  animal,  which  were  worn,  indicating  that 
he  was  in  the  habit  of  stumbling.  "  That,"  said  the 
doctor,  "  is  a  good  sign  for  a  minister,  but  a  very  bad 
one  for  a  minister's  horse." 


A  BLIND   MINISTER.  151 

It  is  unnecessary  to  remark  that  the  incipient  bar- 
gain was  here  stopped. 

As  a  preacher,  Dr.  Mason,  hke  all  other  impulsive 
men,  was  very  unequal.  He  was  sometimes  transcend- 
ent, and  carried  his  audience  by  storm;  and  some- 
times, again,  when  he  preached  extempore,  he  would 
be  comparatively  tame  and  uninteresting.  An  eminent 
lawyer,  who  was  in  church  with  me  one  day,  remarked, 
after  coming  out,  that  Dr.  Mason  ought  not  to  preach 
so  poor  a  sermon  to  well-dressed  people.  "  Such 
stupendous  talents,"  continued  the  lawyer,  "are  a 
great  temptation  to  a  man.  He  knows,  if  he  preaches 
indiflerently  at  any  particular  time,  he  has  the  power 
of  redemption  in  his  own  hands,  and  can,  the  next 
Sunday,  preach  in  a  manner  to. thrill  and  agitate  his 
whole  congregation,  and  fill  them  with  admiration." 

In  conversation  and  lecturing  in  the  Theological 
Seminary,  where  I  often  heard  him,  and  in  the  pulpit, 
when  his  magnificent  imagination  became  excited,  his 
enthusiasm  impelled  him  to  drive  his  burning  wheels 
on  the  borders  of  extravagance  ;  but  he  was  a  great 
and  good  man,  and  the  tidings  of  his  death  made 
both  ears  of  good  men  in  America  and  England  to 
tingle. 

After  spending  about  three  weeks  in  New  York,  I 
returned  to  Stockbridge,  in  accordance  with  engage- 
ments I  had  made  before  leaving.  I  had  received, 
during  my  visit  at  New  York,  numerous  demonstra- 
tions of  exceeding  generosity  and  kindness,  which 
have  brightened  the  whole  succeeding  part  of  my 
life.  Indeed,  the  generosity  of  my  New  York  friends 
formed  a  nucleus  around  which  gathered  the  means 


152  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

of  ultimately  procuring  a  comfortable  home,  which 
now  shelters  my  head. 

Very  soon  after  my  return  to  Stockbridge,  I  received 
a  letter  from  Philip  Melancthon  Whelpley,  the  youthful 
pastor  of  the  Wall-street  congregation,  requesting 
me  to  come  and  preach  in  his  church  half  of  the  day 
on  every  Sabbath. 

Mr.  Whelpley  was  a  very  young  man  when  he  ac- 
cepted the  call  at  Wall-street ;  and  it  was  a  stipulation 
in  the  call,  that  he  should  have,  if  he  desired  it,  an  assist- 
ant preacher  to  supply  the  pulpit  half  the  day  for  the 
first  year.  I  was  applied  to  to  be  that  assistant  preacher, 
and  I  repaired  to  New  York  to  enter  upon  my  new 
career  of  labor.  Mr.  Whelpley  had  a  great  run  of 
popularity  for  a  short  time,  but  was  prodigiously  over- 
rated. His  extreme  youth,  and  a  somewhat  oratorical 
voice,  with  which  he  played  for  effect,  contributed  to 
his  popularity.  He  also  wore  bands  and  a  robe,  and 
made  an  interesting  figure  in  the  pulpit ;  but  his  pop- 
ularity was  a  transient  meteor,  which  was  soon  ex- 
tinguished, and  I  was  a  melancholy  witness  of  its 
extinction. 

He  made  use  of  some  artifices  and  tricks  of  oratory, 
alluding  to  passing  events,  and  making  little  extracts 
from  popular  books  ;  but  I  was  persuaded  he  had  not 
resources  and  intellect  enough  to  sustain  himself  in 
that  important  congregation.  He  was  to  me,  even 
during  the  first  year  of  his  ministry,  an  object  of  deep 
sympathy  ;  for  I  perceived  his  popularity  was  visibly 
declining.  His  acceptance  was,  in  some  degree,  owing 
to  the  adventitious  circumstances  which  have  been 
mentioned. 

In  two  or  three  years,  he  was  compelled  to  feel  in 


A   BLIND   MINISTER.  153 

a  mortifying  manner  the  loss  of  bis  popularity.  His 
health  began  soon  to  decline  ;  be  took  leave  of  absence 
from  his  congregation  for  a  year,  travelled  for  bis 
health,  and  died  at  about  eight  and  twenty.  I  met 
him  in  his  travels,  and  found  him  much  subdued  in 
spirit,  as  well  as  enfeebled  in  health. 

His  example  utters  a  loud  warning  to  other  preachers 
not  to  take  charge  of  a  great  and  conspicuous  con- 
gregation in  the  greenness  of  youth.  The  united 
pressure  of  the  various  responsibilities  of  such  a  situ- 
ation is  very  likely  to  overwhelm  and  crush  a  young 
man. 

I  have  always  cherished  a  great  affection  for  the 
memory  of  Mr.  Whelpley,  and  have  often  reflected  on 
his  untimely  death,  with  sadness.  He  was  uniformly 
kind  and  delicate  in  his  conduct  towards  me,  which, 
in  our  relative  position,  did  much  to  make  my  situa- 
tion in  New  York  happy.  He  was  amiable,  and  I 
loved  him;  and  I  rendered  him  some  services,  for 
which  he  was  grateful. 

My  year's  residence  in  that  city  was,  on  the  whole, 
an  advantageous  arrangement.  I  mingled  with  a 
great  many  eminent  men,  became  familiar  with  life  in 
our  great  commercial  emporium,  and  have  found  my- 
self very  much  at  home  in  all  my  subsequent  visits. 

During  my  residence  in  New  York,  I  became  famil- 
iarly acquainted  with  Hon.  Brockholst  Livingston, 
one  of  the  Judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United 
States.  He  treated  me  with  exceeding  kindness  and 
courtesy.  I  dined  with  him  regularly,  by  invitation, 
once  in  every  week,  and  sometimes  oftener,  till  at 
length  he  sent  me  a  written  invitation  to  dine  with 
him  every  day. 


154  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

He  was  a  man  of  some  remarkable  qualities ;  in  his 
manners  he  was  a  fine  specimen  of  simple  elegance ; 
indeed,  he  was  a  man  of  great  simplicity  in  all  re- 
spects. He  was  simple  in  all  his  tastes.  He  loved 
simple  reading,  and  was  conversant,  in  an  uncommon 
degree,  with  the  older  parts  of  English  literature.  He 
was  a  fine  classical  scholar;  and  very  few  Judges,  I 
think,  have  been  more  at  home  in  the  Greek  and  Latin 
writers.  He  lived  expensively,  because  he  was  liberal 
and  rich ;  but  his  whole  domestic  system  was  guided 
by  a  simple  taste,  which  imparted  to  it  a  peculiar 
charm.  He  kept  no  carriage,  because,  as  he  told  me, 
it  was  an  incumbrance  to  the  establishment  of  a  man 
who  wanted  his  time  for  study. 

I  have  read  some  of  his  judicial  opinions,  given 
when  he  was  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
State  of  New  York,  and  they  bear  the  stamp  of  his 
mind.  They  are  ingenious,  and  characterized  by  clas- 
sical allusions  and  classic  purity  of  style. 

When  I  had  closed  my  year's  preaching  in  New 
York,  and  had  fixed  the  day  of  my  leaving  on  my 
return  to  the  country,  the  Judge  sent  me  a  polite  and 
pressing  note  to  dine  with  him,  and  brought  forward 
his  dinner  at  an  early  hour,  that  I  might  not  be  too 
late  for  the  steamboat.  After  dinner,  I  found  he  had 
a  carriage  at  the  door  to  carry  me  and  my  boy  to  the 
vessel.  He  went  on  board  with  me,  took  me  by  the 
hand,  most  affectionately,  to  bid  me  farewell,  and  said, 
^'  "Well,  my  very  dear  sir,  I  have  no  concern  for  you, 
if  you  have  lost  your  sight.  You  are  as  likely  to 
win  your  way  to  fame  and  prosperity  as  any  of  us." 

On  going  to  the  captain's  office,  my  tickets  were 
handed  me,  and  I  was  told  that  the  gentleman  who 


A   BLIND   MINISTER.  155 

came  on  board  with  me  had  been  there  in  the  morn- 
ing and  paid  the  passage,  which,  at  ihat  time,  was 
seven  dollars  each  from  New  York  to  Albany. 

I  dined  two  or  three  times  at  Judge  Livingston's 
with  the  celebrated  jurist.  Judge  Story.  I  found  him 
one  of  the  most  profuse  talkers  I  ever  met  with.  Ho 
was  full  of  well-considered  and  polished  thoughts,  on  al- 
most every  subject,  which  he  poured  forth  with  unmeas- 
ured freeness.  His  conversation  was  exceedingly  en- 
tertaining and  instructive,  but  was  rather  too  deeply 
imbued  with  philosophy  and  eloquence  for  the  most 
agreeable  kind  of  talk.  I  have  always  been  glad  that  I 
met  with  this  remarkable  man,  and  his  discussions  and 
observations  are  indelibly  inscribed  upon  my  memory. 
Like  most  eminent  men  in  our  country,  he  rose  from  a 
narrow  and  humble  condition.  He  told  me  that  his 
father  was  a  poor  minister  in  a  small  parish  in  Mas- 
sachusetts, and  that,  when  he  was  a  boy,  he  started 
from  home  to  go  to  college,  on  foot,  with  all  his 
clothes  tied  up  in  a  handkerchief,  and  seventy-five 
cents  in  his  pocket.  With  this  slender  equipment, 
he  went  to  Providence  and  entered  Brown  Uni- 
versity. 

I  also  had  the  pleasure  of  making  acquaintance 
with  the  celebrated  De  Witt  Clinton,  whose  great  deeds 
have  given  him  a  permanent  and  characteristic  fame, 
which  may  well  preclude  any  extended  notice  here. 
He  was  a  man  of  great  dignity,  and  particularly  at- 
tentive to  all  the  decorums  of  life,  a  circumstance 
which  detracted  in  some  degree  from  his  popularity 
with  the  masses.  But  he  preached  democratic  senti- 
ments with  eloquence  and  power,  in  his  speeches  to 
the  people  and  in   legislative   halls.      His   speeches 


156  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

secured  to  him  a  large  measure  of  public  favor  and 
popular  suffrage. 

John  Adams  somewhere  remarks,  that,  when  men  of 
distinguished  and  aristocratic  families  inculcate  ex- 
tremely democratic  sentiments,  they  are  apt  to  be  very 
successful ;  and  he  illustrates  the  idea  by  referring  to 
the  Winthrops  of  Massachusetts,  the  Clintons  of  New 
York,  and  the  Madisons  of  Virginia,  who  won  to 
themselves  great  popular  favor,  although  they  were 
of  ancient  and  aristocratic  families. 

Mr.  Clinton,  whenever  I  saw  him,  was  communica- 
tive, and  talked  fully  on  political,  economical,  literary, 
and  religious  subjects.  Indeed,  I  was  surprised  at 
his  familiarity  with  religious  matters,  and  observed 
that  he  treated  clergymen  with  marked  respect.  He 
was  imbued  with  a  taste  for  classic  learning,  and  de- 
lighted to  talk  over  classical  themes,  and  spoke  famil- 
iarly of  beautiful  passages  in  the  less  known  Latin 
writers. 

When  he  was  at  the  West,  where  he  was  invited  to 
give  his  opinions  about  a  canal  that  was  in  contempla- 
tion around  the  falls  in  the  Ohio,  multitudes  crowded 
to  see  this  great  man ;  but  the  people  of  the  West 
did  not  like  him.  He  was  too  abstracted  and  dignified 
to  please  the  Western  people,  who  love  free,  hearty, 
and  popular  manners ;  and  they  were  struck  with  the 
contrast  between  De  Witt  Clinton  and  Henry  Clay, 
who  was  singularly  familiar  and  winning  in  his  bear- 
ing. 

While  I  was  preaching  at  Wall-street,  I  became  ac- 
quainted, with  great  interest  and  pleasure,  with  some 
of  the  humbler,  as  well  as  more  elevated,  forms  of 
life.     We  had  several  very  poor  families  belonging  to 


A  BLIND  MINISTER.  157 

our  church.  These  families  I  often  visited,  sometimes 
alone  and  sometimes  in  company  with  the  pastor,  to 
impart  the  consolations  of  the  Christian  religion.  It 
was  refreshing  to  see  the  kindness  and  care  that  was 
extended  to  these  poor  families  by  generous  members 
of  the  church.  In  a  winter  of  uncommon  rigor,  I 
found  them  well  provided  with  fuel,  and  cheered  with 
the  other  comforts  of  life. 

I  saw  in  some  of  these  families  the  most  affecting 
and  beautiful  specimens  of  piety.  There  was  one 
family  where  a  daughter  died,  who  resembled  in  her 
decline  the  humble,  simple,  and  cheerful  piety  of  the 
Dairyman's  Daughter,  in  Leigh  Richmond's  touching 
sketch  —  a  model  of  taste  and  elegance  —  "  read  of  all 
men."  I  attended,  in  company  with  her  pastor  and  a 
number  of  members  of  her  church,  her  funeral ;  and 
it  was  an  uncommon  spectacle  to  see  such  a  gather- 
ing in  a  depressed  basement-room,  occupied  by  a 
very  poor  family.  But  the  tear  of  misery  was  not 
permitted  to  freeze  on  the  cheek  of  any  one  of  that 
poor  family  through  the  winter. 

In  such  neglected  scenes  God  often  has  his  chosen 
and  favorite  servants.  They  are  princes  in  disguise, 
though  they  may  be  unknown  and  unhonored  of  men. 
Some  of  the  churches  in  New  York  gladdened  the 
recesses  of  penury  with  the  lights  of  beneficence. 
These  are  good  works,  which  exemplify  the  profuse 
and  impartial  benevolence  of  the  gospel. 

I  will  record  here,  because  it  belongs  to  this  portion 
of  my  life,  a  detached  reminiscence,  which  furnishes 
an  illustration  of  the  truth,  that  great  effects  result 
from  little  causes : 

A  casual  conversation  of  mine,  without  any  specific 

14 


158  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

design,  resulted,  in  the  wonder-working  providence  of 
God,  in  the  establishment  of  a  great  and  useful  literary 
institution.  Some  time,  I  think,  in  the  year  1814, 1 
went  with  my  brother  to  Williams  College.  He  was 
one  of  the  trustees  of  that  institution,  and  then  visited 
it  on  some  oflScial  business.  As  we  were  returning, 
our  conversation  naturally  turned  upon  the  college, 
the  fortunes  of  which  were  at  that  time  somewhat  de- 
pressed. I  remarked  to  my  brother,  as  we  were  trav- 
elling, that  the  college  was  unfortunate  in  its  location ; 
that  its  guardians  and  faculty  had  been  indefatigable 
in  sustaining  it,  and  were  highly  meritorious  ;  but  the 
college  was  in  a  corner  of  the  State,  out  of  the  range 
of  public  vision,  and  encircled  by  chains  of  colossal 
mountains. 

In  my  remarks  I  went  on  to  say :  "  Colleges  are  not 
transient  things,  but  are  established  to  remain  as  long 
as  the  world  stands.  They  have  funds,  various  en- 
dowments, and  prestige,  and  should  always  be  located 
in  central  and  permanent  situations.  Our  college," 
said  I,  "should  have  been  located  at  Pittsfield,  or 
some  central  position  on  Connecticut  river,  where  it 
could  be  in  the  glare  of  pubKc  vision,  and  attract  pub- 
lic and  private  patronage. 

"  It  would  be  a  fine  stroke  of  policy  to  remove  Wil- 
liams College,  if  it  were  practicable,  to  some  position 
near  the  middle  of  the  State  —  Northampton  or  Am- 
herst— where  it  would  be  likely,  from  its  reputation 
as  a  useful  institution,  and  from  the  patronage  it  would 
attract,  to  grow  up  into  a  great  university." 

These  casual  remarks  made  a  deep  impression  upon 
the  mind  of  my  brother ;  and,  after  reflecting  upon 


A  BLIND  MINISTER.  159 

the  subject,  he  said  to  me, "  I  shall  take  up  the  measure 
and  press  it  upon  public  attention." 

We  stopped  at  the  coffee-house  in  Lenox,  where 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Hyde,  of  Lee,  one  of  our  company  from 
Williamstown,  had  called  just  before  us.  My  brother 
opened  the  subject  to  Dr.  Hyde  to  a  considerable  ex- 
tent, with  his  characteristic  ardor.  Dr.  Hyde  seemed 
to  be  impressed  with  the  idea ;  and,  at  a  meeting  of 
the  Board  of  Trustees,  which  occurred  soon  after, 
my  brother  opened  the  subject  fully.  The  affair  soon 
escaped  from  the  secrecy  of  the  Board,  and  spread 
like  wildfire.  Dr.  Fitch,  the  President  of  the  college, 
perceived  the  agitation,  and  bent  before  the  blast  and 
retired  from  the  scene.  In  the  spring  of  1815  he  re- 
signed his  office.  Dr.  Moore  was  inaugurated  as  Pres- 
ident in  the  fall  of  the  same  year.  He  was  an  early 
friend  of  my  brother,  and  was  very  much  under  his 
influence.  He  came  on  to  the  college  under  the  full 
impression,  honestly  obtained,  that  the  college  was 
soon  to  be  removed  to  the  valley  of  the  Connecticut; 
and  he  made  every  effort  in  his  power  to  accomplish 
the  removal.  By  this  course,  he  rendered  himself 
very  unpopular  with  the  friends  of  the  college  at  Wil- 
liamstown, and  in  the  county  generally.  Several  of  the 
trustees  also  coincided  with  these  views,  and  the  fire 
was  kindled.  The  county  of  Berkshire  was  soon 
agitated,  and  the  excitement  spread,  of  course,  with 
intense  earnestness,  into  the  region  along  the  Connec- 
ticut river. 

Measures  were  soon  put  in  motion  for  the  removal 
of  the  college  to  Northampton  or  Amherst.  The 
public  in  Western  Massachusetts  were  everywhere  dis- 
cussing the  matter,  and  acting  upon  it.     It  was  soon 


160  "•       AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF   A  BLIND   MINISTER. 

carried  before  the  Legislature,  who  looked  upori  the 
enterprise  of  removing  Williams  College  with  averted 
eyes.  It  was  supposed  that  a  majority  of  the  Legis- 
lature, being  of  the  Liberal  party  in  religion,  were 
adverse  to  the  raising  up  in  the  central  part  of  the 
State  of  a  great  Evangelical  university ;  and  they  re- 
fused to  grant  a  charter  for  a  college  at  Amherst. 

But  so  much  had  been  done  to  raise  funds,  that  a 
substantial  college  was  planted  at  Amherst,  which,  by 
its  merit,  won  its  way  to  public  favor,  and  extorted 
at  last  a  charter  from  the  Legislature. 

I  will  not  assert  that  my  conversation,  in  a  little 
journey  from  Williamstown  to  Stockbridge,  caused  the 
existence  of  Amherst  College ;  but  I  can  trace  dis- 
tinctly from  that  conversation  a  tangible  and  visible 
chain  of  causes  and  effects,  which  resulted  in  the  es- 
tablishment of  that  distinguished  literary  institution. 
I  rejoice  in  its  prosperity,  and  pray  to  the  God  of 
providence  that  it  may  long  flourish  to  glorify  God 
and  bless  man. 

It  gives  me  pleasure  also  to  remark,  that  Williams 
College,  notwithstanding  the  embarrassments  it  has 
encountered,  has  gone  on  with  giant  steps  in  its 
career  of  usefulness  and  renojvn,  and  now  takes  rank 
with  the  noblest  literary  institutions  in  the  land ;  and 
it  is  a  matter  of  high  gratification  that  it  has  not  been 
removed  from  its  ancient  position,  and  that  railroads 
are  furnishing  facilities  by  which  that  excellent  insti- 
tution is  brought  into  the  view  of  the  world  and  is 
easily  approached.  May  the  cloud  of  God's  benedic- 
tion rest  upon  it  while  the  sun  and  moon  shall  endure. 


CHAPTER    XII. 

MY  MINISTRY  AT   GREEN   RIYER. 

Description  of  the  Place.  —  Preached  at  Green  River.  —  Preached  at 
Pittsfield.  —  Ordination.  — Movements  to  give  me  a  Call.  — Installa- 
tion. —  Set  up  Housekeeping.  —  Bible  Class.  —  Extensive  Revival.  — 
An  Interesting  Conversion. —  Pierpont  Edwards. 

Soon  after  I  returned  to  my  home  from  New  York, 
the  congregation  at  Green  River,  who  were  destitute 
of  a  pastor,  sent  a  committee  to  request  me  to  come 
there  and  preach.  Little  did  I  then  think  that  this 
visit  of  the  committee  would  change  the  whole  cir- 
cumstances, and  direct  the  whole  current  of  the  re- 
mainder of  my  life.  I  had  no  wish  to  commit  myself 
to  an  engagement  to  preach  in  that  part  of  the 
country.  I  had  come  home  to  repose  for  the  summer, 
with  an  expectation  of  going  to  Virginia  in  the  fall 
to  exercise  my  profession.  I  had  made  acquaintance, 
while  in  New  York,  with  several  gentlemen  from  that 
State,  who  pressed  me  to  go  there  and  preach.  They 
had  heard  me  preach  in  the  city,  and  they  guaranteed 
to  me  a  generous  compensation,  if  I  would  come  into 
their  part  of  the  State  and  labor  in  the  ministry.  I 
told  them  that  I  would  comply  with  their  request,  and 
be  with  them  in  the  ensuing  autumn,  unless  circum- 
stances beyond  my  control  should  send  me  in  some 
other  direction. 

They  wished  me  to  go  out  with  them  in  the  spring ; 
14*  (161) 


162  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

but  I  had  been  preaching  about  two  years  in  great 
cities,  and  was  worn  down  by  the  anxieties  of  my 
position,  and  wanted  a  breathing-spell  in  the  quiet 
shades  of  my  native  home ;  and  besides,  I  was  thor- 
oughly tired  of  this  nomade  life. 

The  committee,  however,  from  Green  River,  were 
importunate ;  and  I  engaged  to  go  there  and  preach 
two  Sabbaths,  and  spend  the  intervening  week  with 
the  congregation.  I  was  received  and  treated  with 
great  kindness ;  and  my  preaching,  under  the  blessing 
of  God,  had  an  electric  effect ;  and  the  second  Sabbath 
I  had  an  immense  audience.  The  society,  in  the  ab- 
sence of  a  minister,  had  sunk  down  into  the  dust ; 
and,  indeed,  the  ground  had  for  a  time  been  taken 
possession  of  by  another  denomination. 

I  left  the  place,  a  little  uncertain  in  regard  to  the 
will  of  God  about  my  relations  to  that  society,  but 
very  anxious  not  to  return  any  more.  The  place  was 
obscure,  though  respectable;  but  locating  myself 
there  was  very  wide  of  the  plan  which  I  had  long 
cherished.  I  begged  of  them  not  to  send  for  me 
again.  But,  in  a  few  days,  a  large  and  anxious  com- 
mittee came  over  to  Stockbridge  to  see  me,  and  drew 
from  me  another  engagement  to  preach  for  them 
awhile. 

The  sequestered  valley  of  Green  River  lies  near  the 
eastern  border  of  Columbia  county,  in  the  State  of 
New  York.  It  is  twelve  miles  west  of  Stockbridge, 
my  native  town,  and  is  watered  by  the  stream  which 
has  given  to  the  valley  its  name,  and  which  has  af- 
forded the  muse  of  Bryant  a  theme  at  once  classic  and 
beautiful.  In  his  "  greener  years,"  when  he  came  to 
this  quiet  spot  to  angle  in  its  waters,  he  caught  the 


A  BLIND   MINISTER.  163 

inspiration  which  lingered  around  them,  and  the  mel- 
ody of  his  song  is  like  the  sweetness  of  their  own 
music. 

"  When  breezes  are  soft  and  skies  are  fair, 
I  steal  me  an  hour  from  study  and  care, 
And  hie  me  away  to  the  woodland  scene, 
Where  wanders  the  stream  with  waters  of  green ; 
As  if  the  bright  frin^^e  of  herbs  on  its  brink, 
Had  given  their  stain  to  the  wave  they  drink  ; 
And  they  whose  meadows  it  murmurs  through 
Have  named  the  stream  from  its  own  fair  hue." 

The  Green  River  is  formed  by  the  junction  of  tribu- 
tary rivulets,  which  flow  down  the  vast  amphitheatre 
of  hills  that  begirt  the  valley.  A  distinguished  clergy- 
man, the  late  Dr.  John  Chester,  of  Albany,  remarked 
to  me,  that  he  always  made  his  journeys  to  Hartford 
through  this  valley,  to  enjoy  the  magnificence  of  its 
scenery  ;  "  for,''  said  he,  "  it  is  the  most  enchanting 
landscape  I  ever  beheld." 

A  lover  of  nature,  standing  on  an  eminence  north 
of  the  scene,  will  see  a  long  vale  stretching  out  before 
him  to  the  south  for  three  or  four  miles,  between  a 
proud  bulwark  of  mountains  on  the  east  and  west, 
cultivated  by  the  hand  of  husbandry,  with  neat  white 
farm-houses  scattered  along  their  sides,  and  embowered 
with  foliage.  Strangers  who  looked  upon  the  scene 
have  been  reminded  of  the  famous  vale  of  Tempo, 
which  intoxicated  the  Greeks  with  delight.  He  will 
see  the  village,  with  its  church-spire  pointing  towards 
heaven,  and  giving  the  mighty  moral  to  the  scene. 
He  will  follow  the  stream  till  near  the  southern  ex- 
tremity of  the  valley,  where  the  hills  approach  very 
near  each  other,  and  almost  lock  their  giant  arms. 


164  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

This  beautiful  stream,  full  of  delicious  trout  that 
love  the  mountain  brook,  winds  on  its  musical  path 
through  the  sedges  and  willows,  till  it  loses  itself  in 
the  Housatonic.  The  landscape  is  exceedingly  ro- 
mantic and  lovely. 

I  repaired  to  this  romantic  spot  in  July,  1816,  and 
remained  there  till  the  following  December.  The  con- 
gregation arose  from  the  dust,  and  strengthened  itself 
on  every  side.  I  did  not  intend  to  continue  there, 
but  I  was  most  assiduous  in  my  efforts  for  the  pros- 
perity of  the  society  in  all  its  relations.  I  wanted  to 
prepare  an  inviting  field  for  some  other  minister. 
Several  hopeful  conversions  occurred,  and  I  received 
a  number  into  the  church. 

Although  I  was  happy  and  useful  in  that  situation, 
yet  I  was  desirous  to  be  liberated,  if  it  should  appear 
to  be  consistent  with  the  intentions  and  will  of  Provi- 
dence. 

Early  in  December,  I  had  a  pressing  invitation  to 
go  to  Pittsfield,  Mass.,  and  preach  to  the  congregation 
which  was  to  contain  the  two  societies,  into  which  the 
town  had  for  several  years  been  divided.  Previous 
to  this  division,  the  Congregational  society  at  Pitts- 
field  had  been  a  large  and  noble  one,  embracing  al- 
most the  entire  population  of  that  enterprising  town. 
But  political  disputes  ran  high,  and  the  church  and 
society  were  rent  asunder.  When  party  asperities 
had  in  some  degree  subsided,  they  concluded  to  return 
into  one  fold  under  one  shepherd,  and  it  was  a  condi- 
tion of  the  re-union  that  I  should  be  employed  to 
preach. 

The  harmony  of  that  great  congregation  seemed  to 
me  an  important  and  attractive  object,  and  one  which 


A  BLIND  MINISTER.  165 

fully  justified  me  in  withdrawing  from  Green  Eiver, 
which  I  thought  was  then  in  a  condition  to  take  care 
of  itself 

My  labors  at  Pittsfield  were  abundant,  and  I  had  the 
pleasure  of  seeing  that  great  society  careering  on  in 
the  path  of  union  and  success.  But  my  old  friends  at 
Green  River  followed  me  to  Pittsfield  with  their  im- 
portunities, and  I  began  to  think  that  God  had  a  work 
for  me  to  do  there.  I  could  not  get  disengaged  from 
Pittsfield  till  August,  when,  in  accordance  with  my 
promise  to  the  congregation  at  Green  River,  I  returned 
to  this  former  field  of  my  labor.  But  before  entering 
upon  that  field,  it  was  deemed  expedient  by  the  minis- 
ters of  the  Berkshire  Association,  by  the  church  at 
Green  River,  and  by  myself,  that  I  should  receive  ordi- 
nation, that  I  might  be  fully  invested  with  the  ministerial 
office,  and  qualified  to  administer  sealing  ordinances. 

The  Association  appointed  a  commission  to  proceed 
to  my  ordination  at  Stockbridge.  The  commission 
was  one  of  great  splendor,  on  account  of  the  character 
and  standing  of  the  ministers  who  composed  it ;  and 
the  ordination  was  the  occasion  of  great  solemnity  to 
me,  on  account  of  the  responsibilities  which  it  de- 
volved on  my  conscience. 

The  day  after  my  ordination,  I  repaired  to  Green 
River,  with  an  anxious  heart,  and  a  fixed  determina- 
tion, with  the  help  of  God,  to  labor  as  strenuously  as 
I  could.  The  people  rallied  around  me  with  their 
former  enthusiasm.  In  addition  to  my  stated  minis- 
trations, I  instituted  and  sustained  the  subsidiary 
means  of  grace  in  all  their  various  forms. 

These  measures  were  seconded  and  promoted  by 
the  congregation  without  any  dissenting  voice.      I 


166  AUTORIOGRAPHY  OP 

commenced  a  Sunday-school,  wliicli  soon  embraced 
all  the  children  of  the  congregation,  and,  indeed,  all 
the  children  of  the  place.  In  the  fall,  I  set  up  a  Bible- 
class,  which  met  in  the  district  school-house  once  a 
week,  and  filled  it.  We  had  a  church  prayer-meeting 
and  conference,  which  was  a  well  attended  and  profita- 
ble meeting  through  the  whole  of  my  ministry.  Besides 
these  measures,  we  had  every  week  a  prayer-meeting, 
and,  when  there  was  an  unwonted  state  of  religious 
feeling,  prayer-meetings  were  greatly  multiplied. 

I  exerted  an  active  and  efficient  agency  in  instituting 
local  associations,  auxiliary  to  our  great  benevolent 
societies.  One  association  of  this  kind  was  a  great 
blessing  to  us,  and  that  was  our  Tract  Society,  which 
scattered  an  immense  number  of  little  winged  messen- 
gers of  love  throughout  our  population.  Fall  and 
winter  rolled  away,  and  the  spring  came.  I  had 
looked  forward  to  this  opening  season  of  the  year 
when  I  could  with  propriety  go  forth  to  some  other 
part  of  the  vineyard.  But  I  had  become  identified 
with  the  people,  and  departing  from  them  now  would, 
I  perceived,  involve  a  wear  and  tear  of  feeling  on 
both  sides,  which  I  could  not  bear  to  think  of. 

Several  conversions  and  some  touching  scenes  had 
transpired  during  the  winter ;  and,  when  the  opening 
season  came,  I  arranged  my  plan  of  operation  for  the 
summer.  The  hand  of  God  was  evidently  upon  us 
for  good.  We  began  our  Sunday-school  efi'orts  under 
the  most  auspicious  circumstances,  and  our  Sabbath- 
school  attracted  the  attention  of  the  surrounding 
country.  It  was  looked  upon  by  all  our  churches  as  a 
green  spot  in  Columbia  county.  My  relative  position 
was  very  agreeable  to  my  feelings.     It  was  near  the 


A   BLIND   MINISTER.  167 

villages  of  Berkshire,  where  my  early  associates  and 
many  of  my  friends  resided ;  it  was  also  near  Hudson 
and  Albany,  cities  in  which  I  had  often  visited,  and  in 
which  I  had  numerous  acquaintances. 

I  always  kept  a  gentle  and  efficient  horse,  and  a 
boy  to  drive,  who  had  also  been  well  educated,  so  that 
he  could  read  and  write  for  me.  Every  one  who  de- 
pends on  hearing  reading  knows  that  a  boy  is  com- 
monly a  poor  reader  and  a  worse  writer;  but  I  was 
very  lucky  in  the  selection  of  my  boys.  My  first  boy, 
or  young  gentleman  (for  he  then  occupied  the  doubt- 
ful frontier  between  boyhood  and  manhood),  at  Green 
River,  was  Mark  Hopkins,  now  Rev.  Dr.  Hopkins,  the 
distinguished  President  of  Williams  College,  and  no- 
body will  doubt  his  ability  to  read  and  write  well  at 
seventeen.  He  was  the  first  of  a  long  line  of  young 
men  mio  have  lived  with  me,  and  afterwards  risen  to 
prominent  and  useful  situations  in  life,  and  reflected 
splendor  upon  themselves  and  their  friends.  Perhaps 
his  distinguished  example  has  had  an  exciting  effect 
upon  many  of  his  successors. 

At  the  close  of  the  summer  of  1818,  there  was  a 
deep  and  solemn  movement  in  the  congregation  to  give 
me  a  call  to  become  their  pastor.  The  call  was  made 
out  with  perfect  unanimity,  and  presented  to  me  for 
my  acceptance.  I  made  it  the  subject  of  earnest  con- 
sideration, prayer,  and  advisement ;  and, after  prolonged 
deliberation,  I  signified,  in  writing,  my  acceptance  of 
the  call.  The  hand  of  God,  I  thought,  had  evidently 
shaped  out  all  the  circumstances  which  had  brought 
me  into  that  position. 

It  is  sometimes  easy  to  read  the  book  of  Providence. 
A  new  page  of  that  book  was  open  before  me,  written 


168  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

plainly  and  intelligibly.  The  intimations  of  God's  will 
are  not  always  presented  to  the  humble  inquirer  after 
providential  way-marks  to  guide  his  steps  in  enigmas, 
or  ambiguous  voices  with  Delphic  obscurity ;  but 
sometimes  a  single  fact,  with  its  attendant  circum- 
stances, shows  the  finger  of  God  pointing  in  a  par- 
ticular direction ;  sometimes  a  train  of  facts  indicate 
the  will  of  God ;  but,  when  different  series  of  facts 
all  tend  the  same  way,  and  all  coincide  in  the  same 
import,  and  read  out  the  same  lesson,  then  the  will  of 
God  is  written  as  with  a  sunbeam. 

Several  trains  of  cirumstances,  all  coalescing  in  one 
drift,  led  me  to  believe  that  it  was  indubitably  the  will 
of  God,  that  I  should  accept  the  call  which  had  been 
extended  to  me,  and  assume  the  pastoral  relation  to 
the  church  and  congregation  at  Green  Eiver. 

We  immediately  entered  upon  the  arrangement  for 
my  installation,  which  it  was  determined  should  take 
place  November  18,  1818.  A  large  council  was  called 
in  the  Congregational  way,  by  letters  missive.  The 
council  embraced  Dr.  Hyde,  Dr.  Shepherd,  Dr.  Hum- 
phrey, and  Dr.  Chester,  men  of  renown  and  wide  and 
hallowed  influence  in  their  day.  Dr.  Chester,  by 
previous  engagement,  preached  the  installation  ser- 
mon.    It  was  an  eloquent  and  impressive  production. 

We  had  a  vast  assembly.  The  villages  of  Berkshire 
poured  out  on  the  occasion  the  elite  of  their  respec- 
tive societies.  After  the  installation  services  were 
over,  the  gathered  multitudes  scattered  to  their 
homes,  and  I  was  left  alone  with  my  congregation. 
No  kindred  or  early  friends  remained  with  ,me.  The 
night  was  dark  and  wild,  and  the  rain  poured  down 
in  torrents :  and  the  mountainous  responsibilities  of 


A  BLIND   MINISTER.  169 

the  pastorate  were  upon  me.  During  the  slow  mov- 
ing hours  of  the  night,  I  often  said  to  myself,  "  Who 
is  sufficient  for  tlicse  things  ?  " 

The  congregation,  though  large,  was  newly  gathered, 
and  I  feared  it  was  imperfectly  cemented.  The  region 
over  which  my  congregation  was  spread  was  vast  in 
extent,  made  up  of  deep  valleys  and  lofty  moun- 
tains ;  and  the  labor  of  a^pastor  must,  of  necessity,  be 
immense.  But  when  the  morning  broke  over  the 
world,  the  rain  ceased,  and  I  arose  and  commended 
myself  to  God,  from  whom  all  strength  cometh,  and 
addressed  myself  cheerfully  to  my  work. 

I  commenced  the  preparation  of  my  inaugural  ser- 
mon, and,  on  the  following  Sabbath,  I  had  the  pleasure 
of  preaching  to  a  full  assembly.  Our  relations  now 
assumed  a  definite  shape,  and  we  all  moved  on  harmo- 
niously, in  accordance  with  these  well  understood  rela- 
tions. 

I,  with  my  attendant  young  man,  boarded  in  an 
excellent  family  for  more  than  a  year  after  my  instal- 
lation. But,  as  I  had  a  great  many  comers  and  goers, 
and  an  almost  constant  tide  of  company,  I  became 
desirous  of  keeping  house ;  and  besides,  my  excellent 
hostess  lost  her  health,  and  it  became  necessary  for 
me  to  cast  about  for  other  quarters.  The  indispensa- 
bleness  of  having  a  home  of  my  own  was  now  fully 
impressed  upon  me.  I  had  a  large  library,  and  con- 
siderable furniture,  and  my  system  of  life  was  quite 
too  cumbrous  to  permit  my  drifting  about  from  one 
boarding-house  to  another. 

I  purchased  a  lot  of  two  or  three  acres,  in  a  pleasant 
part  of  the  village,  and  began  my  preparations  for 
erecting  a  house.  But  '^  except  tlie  Lord  build  the 
16 


170  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

house,  they  labor  in  vain  that  build  it."  Providence 
smiled  upon  the  enterprise,  and  the  society  aided  me 
generously,  by  subscribing  and  furnishing  materials 
and  labor. 

But  some  person  was  to  be  provided,  for  the  deli- 
cate and  responsible  situation  of  female  manager  of 
the  house  of  the  pastor  of  a  large  congregation. 
Providentially,  there  was  a  lady  residing  in  Green 
River,  pre-eminently  qualified  for  the  place,  and  I  was 
fortunate  enough  to  be  able  to  make  an  arrangement 
with  her  to  keep  and  guide  my  house.  I  shall  have 
something  more  to  say  of  this  lady,  as  the  arrangement 
referred  to  has  imparted  a  decided  influence  to  my 
whole  succeeding  history,^  and  she  is  now,  thirty-six 
years  from  that  time,  a  great  light  and  blessing  in  my 
house  —  her  skill  and  energy  having  been  the  prin- 
cipal sources  of  whatever  measure  of  secular  pros- 
perity has  gladdened  my  house.  She  is  descended 
from  the  ancient  and  distinguished  family  of  Seymour, 
who  have  for  several  generations  resided  in  Hartford, 
Conn.,  and  is  characterized  by  their  energy  and  high 
spirit  of  order  and  arrangement.  She  is  related  by 
the  ties  of  kindred  to  the  late  governors  of  Connecti- 
cut and  New  York,  who  bear  the  family  name. 

We  entered  upon  our  domestic  system,  and  I  became 
a  pater-familias,  in  the  year  1820. 

*I  have  spoken  of  diflferent  events  which  have  imparted  a  "  change  to 
my  succeeding  history."  This  is  perfectly  correct  in  relation  to  each  one 
of  them.  Each  event  gave  its  peculiar  turn  to  the  current  of  my  life,  and 
imparted  its  specific  influence  to  my  character  and  fortunes,  and  their 
combined  influence  has  done  very  much  to  mould  my  character  and  con- 
dition, and  make  them  what  they  are. 

"  There  is  a  divinity  that  shapes  our  ends, 
Rough-hew  them  as  we  may." 


A  BLIND   MINISTER,  171 

This  excellent  woman  brought  with  her  a  lovely 
daughter  of  thirteen,  the  youngest  child  of  her  sec- 
ond marriage.  She  was  assiduous  in  the  conduct  of 
her  education,  and  made  the  most  affecting  sacrifices 
for  that  interesting  object.  I  very  soon  mingled  my 
efforts  with  hers,  and  superintended  with  fidelity  the 
education  of  the  young  lady. 

Little  did  I  then  think  I  was  educating  a  being  who 
was  to  be  my  wife,  and  who  would  sustain  and  brighten 
the  sequel  of  my  life !  But  God  leads  us  in  a  way 
which  we  know  not.  We  entered  upon  our  domestic 
arrangements  by  erecting  a  family  altar,  which  has 
burned,  sweetly  I  trust,  every  morning  and  evening 
down  to  the  present  time.  Our  house  was  sanctified 
by  the  word  of  Grod  and  prayer,  and  was  soon  the  re- 
sort of  the  congregation,  and  many  friends  from  distant 
parts  of  the  country.  The  "sure  mercies  of  David  " 
abode  beneath  our  roof,  and  the  candle  of  the  Lord 
shone  graciously  over  our  tabernacle.  I  had  no  an- 
ticipations of  such  an  even  flow  of  health,  and  happi- 
ness as  our  house  has  enjoyed.  Amid  the  changes  of 
this  changeful  world,  we  have  had  but  few  instances 
of  sickness,  and  the  pall  of  death  has  not  once  fallen 
upon  our  house. 

Immediately  after  my  installation,  I  instituted  a 
Bible-class,  comyjrising  most  of  the  youth  of  both 
sexes  in  the  community  around  me.  We  met  once  a 
week,  and  I  best  ^wed  my  most  assiduous  and  earnest 
labors  upon  this  institution.  It  proved  a  great  bless- 
ing to  the  church  and  congregation,  and  soon  became 
a  seminary  of  the  church,  from  which  many  a  goodly 
plant  was  transferred  into  the  garden  of  the  Lord.  I 
perceived  that  in  my  Bible-class  there  was  a  number 


172  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

of  gifted  young  men,  to  whose  improvement  I  devoted 
myself  with  special  assiduity.  I  was  determined  to 
turn  out  as  many  young  men  as  possible,  who  should 
be  lights  and  blessings  in  the  portions  of  country  where 
Providence  might  cast  their  lot. 

I  soon  perceived  that  among  the  young  men  under 
my  care,  this  couplet  was  repeated  with  heartfelt  ear- 
nestness : 

'*  Beyond  these  neighboring  hills  vre  soon  shall  roam, 
In  quest  of  fortune  and  a  nobler  home." 

The  succeeding  history  of  the  young  men  has  been 
very  remarkable.  Many  of  them  have  been  eminently 
conspicuous  and  useful  in  the  various  walks  of  life. 
Some  of  them  have  been  great  ornaments  in  the 
learned  professions.  Several  of  my  young  men  have 
been  able  and  influential  members  of  Congress,  and 
some  of  them  have  been  ornaments  in  the  pulpit. 

The  intellectual  and  spiritual  results  of  the  Bible- 
class  were  very  cheering,  and  during  the  winter,  sev- 
eral conversions  occurred ;  some  in  the  Bible-class  and 
some  among  others  of  the  congregation.  My  congre- 
gation grew  on  every  side,  and  my  labors  were  in- 
creased in  the  same  proportion.  A  nephew  of  mine, 
who  spent  a  few  days  with  me,  and  is  somewhat 
extravagant  in  his  remarks,  said,  that  the  territory 
under  my  spiritual  care  was,  in  dimensions,  like  the 
territory  of  the  Czar  of  Muscovy. 

I  do  not  recollect  any  particularly  striking  incidents 
that  occurred  until  1823.  We  were  then  blessed,  in 
a  remote,  but  densely-peopled  part  of  my  congrega- 
tion, with  a  revival  of  religion.  The  fruits  of  this 
revival   were  very   precious.      Some    of  them  were 


A   BLIND   MINISTER.  173 

gathered  into  our  church,  and  some,  after  removing 
from  the  place,  were  gathered  into  other  churches. 
One  young  man,  about  this  time,  was  impressed  and 
sanctified  by  reading  the  Life  of  Harlan  Page,  which 
I  gave  him,  who,  after  spending  a  year  or  two  in  the 
church  under  my  care,  removed  to  Auburn,  N.  Y.,  and 
became  a  great  blessing  in  that  place. 

In  the  year  1827,  the  Lord  poured  out  his  Spirit 
mightily  in  the  congregation,  and  visited  all  the  neigh- 
borhoods of  the  society. 

We  had  enjoyed  some  indications  of  the  approach 
of  the  revival  for  several  weeks,  but  the  development 
was  sudden  and  mighty.  In  a  prayer-meeting,  one  Sat- 
urday night,  there  was  a  great  breaking  down  of  the 
hearts  of  the  people,  and  it  was  very  evident  that  the 
Lord  had  come  in  his  greatness  and  glory.  I  had 
been  preaching  for  several  Sabbaths  a  series  of  ex- 
pository sermons ;  but  I  perceived  that  the  new  cir- 
cumstances around  me  demanded  a  change  in  my  course, 
and,  on  the  following  Sabbath,  I  preached  a  sermon  on 
these  Avords :  ^'  Repent,  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is 
at  hand." 

These  two  meetings  were  the  immediate  means  of 
the  introduction  of  the  great  revival.  Various  means 
had  been  tending  in  the  same  direction  and  indicating 
the  same  result.  The  efforts  of  these  two  meetings 
were  no  more  powerful  in  themselves  than  many  had 
been  before ;  but  they  may  be  considered  as  indicating 
the  path  by  which  the  Lord  entered  upon  the  scene. 

My  labors  were  now  greatly  multiplied.  The 
religious  interest  was  not  a  sudden  burst  of  feeling, 
but  a  deep,  steady,  and  continuous  influence.     The 

15* 


174  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

Spirit  of  God  descended  sweetly  and  gloriously  upon 
us  without  any  perceivable  abatement  for  more  than 
an  entire  year.  During  that  year  I  preached  almost 
every  day.  I  acquired  an  unwonted  moral  and  physi- 
cal energy;  but  I  supposed  this  unwonted  energy 
could  not  long  be  sustained,  and  was  continually  an- 
ticipating a  re-action.  But  I  think  there  was  no  abate- 
ment in  my  energy  and  depth  of  moral  feeling  during 
the  entire  progress  of  the  revival. 

Multitudes  came  to  our  meetings  from  other  places, 
and  Christians  commonly  went  back  refreshed  and 
edified,  while  sinners  in  a  vast  many  instances  received 
an  arrow  from  the  quiver  of  the  Eternal.  A  revival 
atmosphere  seemed  to  envelop  the  whole  community, 
and  the  distance  between  earth  and  heaven  appeared 
diminished.  I  received  at  one  time  into  the  church 
fifty  persons  from  the  fruits  of  this  revival. 

One  of  the  converts  in  this  gracious  visitation  was 
a  highly  intellectual  female,  who  is  the  subject  of  a 
popular  religious  biography,  entitled.  The  Mountain 
Wild  Flower,  by  C.  Edwards  Lester.  Several  inter- 
esting incidents  occurred  in  the  church  in  connection 
with  this  extraordinary  woman.  In  September,  1834, 
she  sent  a  touching  communication  to  the  pastor,  with 
a  request  that  it  might  be  published  from  the  pulpit, 
desiring  the  prayers  of  the  church.  Her  frame 
was  wasted,  and  she  was  evidently  on  the  verge 
of  eternity.  The  reading  of  this  paper  produced  a 
prodigious  effect  on  the  congregation,  which  was 
bathed  in  tears.  But  a  scene  of  vastly  deeper  inter- 
est was  soon  witnessed  by  the  church,  which  will 
never  be  erased  from  a  single  heart  there. 

On  the  first  Sabbath  of  November,  on  the  day  for 


A   BLIND   MINISTER.  175 

tlio  stated  administration  of  the  sacrament  of  tlie 
Lord's  Supper,  after  that  solemn  service  had  been 
performed  in  the  sanctuar}^,  her  pastor,  and  the  office- 
bearers of  the  church,  and  as  many  members  as  could 
conveniently  assemble  in  her  dwelling,  repaired  thither, 
by  lier  special  request,  to  celebrate  once  more  with 
her  the  dying  love  of  the  Saviour,  before  she  went  to 
drink  new  wine  with  him  in  his  kingdom  above. 

The  scene  was  one  of  indescribable  tenderness  and 
solemnity.  The  expiring  sufferer  lay  upon  her  bed, 
apparently  just  about  to  wing  her  flight  to  that  world 
where  ordinances  are  to  cease.  It  seemed  as  though 
the  light  of  eternity  poured  its  radiance  over  the  ele- 
ments, which  shadowed  forth  the  body  and  blood  of 
Jesus  Christ.  At  the  close  of  the  singing  of  the 
hymn,  and  just  before  the  benediction,  with  a  counte- 
nance that  shone  like  that  of  an  angel,  this  young  and 
beautiful  wife,  now  on  the  verge  of  heaven,  made  a 
short  address  to  her  brethren  and  sisters  in  the  Lord. 
She  conjured  them,  by  the  Saviour's  love  for  them, 
and  by  all  their  hopes  of  heaven,  to  walk  together  in 
the  most  affectionate  manner  in  the  household  of  faith 
—  to  cultivate  the  utmost  susceptibility  in  regard  to 
the  claims  of  a  dying  Saviour ;  and  exhorted  them  to 
labor  for  God  with  unwearied  diligence,  while  it  was 
called  to-day;  for  the  lamp  of  life  would  soon  go  out, 
and  probation's  scenes  close  upon  them  forever.  "We 
cannot,"  said  she,  "love  too  much,  or  pray  too  fer- 
vently, or  labor  too  earnestly,  for  our  exalted  Re- 
deemer." 

The  scene  became  overwhelming ;  every  face  was 
bathed  in  tears,  and  the  impressions   of  that  day  will 


176  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   A  BLIND   MINISTER. 

probably  never  be  forgotten  by  those  who  had  the 
happiness  of  being  present  in  her  room."^ 

In  April,  1826,  I  was  made  sad  by  the  death  of  my 
uncle,  Pierpont  Edwards.-  He  had  always  shown  kind- 
ness and  partiality  to  me,  probably  from  the  circum- 
stance that  my  mother  had  the  care  of  him  in  his 
childhood.  He  loved  her  tenderly,  and  I  loved  him. 
The  following  graphic  account  of  him  I  extract  from  a 
New  Haven  paper,  sent  me  at  the  time : 

"  Judge  Edwards  was  born  at  Northampton,  and  was  the  young- 
est and  only  surviving  son  of  the  celebrated  President  Edwards.  He 
graduated  at  Princeton  College,  and  commenced  the  practice  of 
law  in  New  Haven,  about  the  year  1771.  For  many  years  he  was 
pre-eminently  distinguished  at  the  bar  as  an  advocate.  Few  men 
in  this  country  have  been  more  distinguished  for  splendid  and  ex- 
traordinary endowments.  He  took  an  active  part  in  the  councils 
of  the  State,  in  our  revolutionary  contest,  and  was  repeatedly  a 
member  of  Congress  under  the  old  Confederation.  He  was  remark- 
able for  the  frankness  and  decision  of  his  character,  and  always 
maintained  a  reputation  for  unsullied  integrity." 

*  I  furnished  Mr.  Lester  with  a  similar,  if  not  identical,  account  of  this 
scene,  for  his  biographical  sketch,  entitled,  The  Mountain  Wild  Flower. 
I  have  not  that  book  at  hand,  and  cannot  compare  the  two  accounts;  but 
if  any  reader  should  compare  them,  and  find  a  resemblance,  or  even  an 
identity,  it  is  no  matter.  The  fact  that  I  furnished  Mr.  L.  his  account, 
will  save  me  from  the  imputation  of  plagiarism. 


(11  ATTEU    XI  II. 

MY   MTXISTRY    AT   GRP^EN    PJVEll. 

Attended  General  Assembly.  —  Erection  of  a  New  Church.  —  Letter  to 
the  Young  Laily  in  my  Family.  —  Letter  to  my  Brother.  —  Letter  to 
my  Family.  —  Set  up  a  Classical  School.  —  My  xUlopted  Son.  —  Letter 
to  Him.  —  New  Measureism.  —  One-Idea  Men.  —  Another  Revival. 

In  May,  1825,  I  attended  the  General  Assembly  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church  of  the  United  States  in  Phil- 
adelphia. We  had  eminent  and  excellent  men,  from 
all  parts  of  our  wide-spread  country.  The  assembly 
was  opened  with  an  eloquent  and  able  sermon,  by  the 
celebrated  Dr.  Green.  I  had  often  heard  of  him,  and 
had  some  prejudices  against  him.  It  was  customary, 
about  the  country,  to  call  him  the  "  Pope  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church."  But  I  found  it  with  him,  as  I  have 
with  other  men  —  very  different,  upon  a  close  personal 
acquaintance,  from  the  impressions  I  had  received 
from  popular  rumor.  I  was  on  some  very  important 
committees  with  Dr.  Green,  and  I  found  him  to  be  a 
modest  and  humble  man.  He  was  a  man  of  great 
ability,  and,  like  other  men  eminently  gifted,  he  was 
indepei:|4lent  in  his  bearing;  but  he  regarded  Avith 
respectful  deference  the  opinions  of  others. 

In  a  very  difficult  case  before  us  on  committee, 
where  a  momentous  church  principle  was  involved, 
there  was  a  good  deal  of  anxiety  in  the  minds  of  all 
the  members  of  the  committee.     Dr.  Green  cheered 

(177) 


178  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OP 

Tis  with  this  remark :  "  Brethren,  do  not  let  us  feel  sad. 
I  do  not  believe  God  permits  men  to  be  brought  into 
a  corner  from  which  they  cannot  get  out,  if  they  have 
the  Bible  in  their  hands,  and  are  disposed  to  do  their 
duty." 

The  meeting  of  the  assembly  made  a  deep  and 
durable  impression  on  my  mind,  and  my  thoughts  often 
recurred  to  it  with  reverence  and  tenderness.  The 
most  overwhelming  scene  at  which  I  remember  to 
have  been  present,  was  the  breaking  up  of  the  as- 
sembly. We  all  rose  and  sung  our  parting  hymn, 
joined  in  several  prayers,  and,  after  the  benediction; 
took  leave  of  each  other  with  solemn,  fraternal  feel- 
ings. I  think  we  all  went  from  that  high  place  of  the 
church  to  our  respective  fields  of  labor  with  renewed 
resolutions  of  more  earnest  consecration  to  our  work. 
The  agitating  causes  of  division  in  the  Presbyterian 
body  had  not  then  sprung  up.  The  entire  session 
was  characterized  by  peace,  intelligence,  and  a  regard 
to  the  glory  of  God. 

In  1828,  I  preached  a  sermon  on  the  erection  of  a 
new  church.  Our  old  edifice  was  in  a  state  of  dilapi- 
dation, and  I  was  glad  to  perceive  the  congregation 
enter  so  readily  and  energetically  into  my  views  in 
regard  to  a  new  church  edifice.  After  discussing  a 
great  variety  of  plans,  we  settled  upon  a  scheme,  and 
a  subscription  paper  was  circulated.  This  subscription 
paper  was  generously  sustained.  We  raise(^all  we 
thought  we  could  from  our  own  resources,  and  threw 
ourselves  upon  a  few  friends  abroad  for  three  or  four 
hundred  dollars  more,  to  complete  the  enterprise. 

I  visited  a  few  friends  in  Albany  and  '  Catskill,  who 
supphed  our  lack  of  '^  service,''  and  made  up  the  sum 


A.  BLIND   MINISTER.  179 

that  was  requisite.  Wo  prosecuted  the  enterprise 
through  the  summer_,  and  in  November  we  dedicated  a 
beautiful  church  to  the  worship  of  God.  This  church 
proved  a  great  comfort  and  blessing  to  us  ;  and  it  still 
stands,  the  ornament  of  the  valley,  where  the  "  tribes 
of  the  Lord  go  up  to  the  testimony  of  Israel."  Its 
spire  is  still  seen  from  ^he  distant  hills,  in  all  direc- 
tions, "  pointing  the  weary  traveller  to  heaven." 

Things  flowed  on  in  a  prosperous  and  even  tenor, 
and  I  think  there  has  very  seldom  been  a  sweeter  or 
more  prosperous  ministry  enjoyed  in  our  land. 

During  an  attendance  on  the  Albany  Synod,  in  the 
city  of  Albany,  in  the  month  of  October,  1828,  I 
wrote,  among  others,  the  following  letters : 

(to  the  young  lady  who  was  afterwards  my  wife.) 

Albany,  October  9,  1828. 

Dearest  C.  M.,  —  Well,  I  am  here  in  the  Synod,  in  full  occu- 
pation. ;My  thoughts  and  feelings  recur  to  my  blessed  home  with 
great  frequency  and  delight.  The  synod  is  very  large,  and  there  is 
such  a  mass  of  business,  that  I  think  we  shall  be  detained  a  long 
time.  We  shall,  I  judge,  by  present  appearances,  make  something 
like  a  fortnight's  session.  These  New-measure  innovations  in  our 
churches  have  thrown  up  a  great  deal  of  very  disagreeable  business 
for  us  to  settle.  We  have  an  appeal  from  Dr.  Beman's  church,  in 
Troy,  which,  I  think,  will  take  up  two  or  three  days,  as  it  involves 
principles  which  will  require  elaborate  discussion. 

I  am  billeted  at  the  house  of  Benjamin  F.  Butler,  a  distinguished 
lawyer,  and  one  of  the  revisers  of  the  laws  of  our  State.  He  is  a 
religious  man,  and  takes  a  great  interest  in  the  business  of  the 
synod.  At  the  close  of  our  evenings,  when  we  are  together,  we 
recount  the  doings  of  the  day  ;  and,  through  him,  I  can  look  into 
the  labyrinth  of  the  law  revision,  and  I  furnish  a  pretty  good 
window  to  the  synod. 

This  place  is  full  of  law  and  politics  ;  and  I  should  be  glad  if, 
with  God's  blessing,  the  synod  might  leave  it  full  of  religion.     Next 


180  AUTOBIOGEAPHY  OP 

Sabbath  we  have  the  synodical  communion,  and  I  am  to  take  an 
important  part.  If  I  could  foresee  these  occasions  at  home,  I 
should  make  preparation  ;  but  it  seemed  to  me  a  vain  thing  to 
prepare  for  an  occasion  which  I  had  not  the  vanity  to  suppose 
would  occur.  Next  week  we  have  our  evening  for  devotional  exer- 
cises, and  Dr.  Beman  and  myself  are  to  make  the  addresses.  Pray 
pity  me  while  I  am  sustaining  these  iinxious  responsibilities. 

Remember  me  kindly  to  all  my  congregation  whom  you  may 
happen  to  see,  and  tell  them  that  I  shall  think  a  great  deal  of  them 
next  Sabbath,  for  they  will  have  no  minister.  I  shall  remember 
them,  often  and  earnestly,  before  the  great  Shepherd  of  Israel,  who 
taketh  care  of  a  flock  destitute  of  an  under-shepherd. 

I  hope  you  are  very  hapjDy  at  home,  but  you  must  be  somewhat 
solitary.  Where  is  your  dear  mother  ?  She  went  West,  visiting 
her  children,  two  or  three  weeks  ago,  and  I  am  very  anxious  to  hear 
from  her.  I  hear  that  fevers  are  sweeping  over  Western  New  York, 
and  I  am  afraid  she  is  assailed.     May  God  defend  her. 

Take  care  of  your  health  ;  do  not  engage  in  household  affairs  any 
more  than  is  indispensable.  You  love  to  read,  and  the  house  is  full 
of  books.  I  am  very  glad  .that  I  happened  to  get  into  the  house, 
before  coming  away,  a  number  of  the  last  reviews.  You  are  sur- 
rounded with  elegant  and  profitable  reading,  and  I  shall  expect  you 
to  make  rapid  progress  in  every  kind  of  intellectual  improvement 
during  my  absence,  l^'ou  have  been  to  school  enough.  The  school 
can  give  but  a  limited  education.  The  best  schools  can  only  teach 
us  how  to  improve ;  the  work  must  be  done  by  and  for  ourselves. 
Our  house,  I  think,  is  a  better  school  than  any  in  the  land. 

I  think  of  you  deeply,  tenderly,  and  frequently. 

"  Your  hallowed  image  will,  in  fancy's  eye, 
Dwell,  till  that  hour  when  I  am  called  to  die; 
And  the  sweet  accents  of  your  tongue  will  play 
'Round  memory's  ear,  till  fate  shall  stop  the  lay." 

1  shall  write  you  every  day  or  two  while  I  am  gone. 

Most  affectionately  and  sincerely  your  friend, 

T.    WOODBRIDGE. 


A  BLIND   MINISTER.  181 

(to   my  brother,   J.   WOODBRIDGE,   ESQ.,   AT  STOCKBRIDGE.) 

Albany,  October  10,  1828. 

My  Dearest  Brother,  —  You  will  be  interested  to  hear  from  mo 
in  this  city.  I  am  attending  tho  Synod.  You  are  an  enlightened 
and  strenuous  Congregationalist ;  but  I  think  if  you  could  attend 
our  synod  a  few  days,  and  see  the  faithful  and  searching  manner  in 
which  we  transact  business,  your  exclusiveness  would  be  greatly 
lessened,  and  your  prejudices  against  Presbyterianism  very  much 
diminished.  The  synod  is  very  large  in  size,  and  dignified  in 
learning  and  piety.  It  is,  on  the  whole,  a  glorious  body  of  men  ; 
and  this  is  tho  most  interesting  and  instructive  meeting  of  synod  I 
ever  attended  ;  and  we  happen  to  be  here,  too,  at  a  specially  inter- 
esting time.  There  is  a  great  convergence  of  high  and  exciting 
matters  here. 

The  Legislature  is  in  session,  and  I  occasionally  go  in.  I  went  in 
this  morning,  by  the  invitation  of  Mr.  Butler,  the  distinguished 
lawyer  at  whose  house  I  stop.  The  law,  reported  by  the  revisers, 
deciding  who  are  competent  witnesses,  was  under  discussion.  Mr. 
Butler  made  a  fine  speech,  sustaining  the  law,  which  declares  that 
any  man,who  believes  in  the  existence  of  a  God  who  will  punish 
perjury,  is  a  competent  witness.  Your  old  classmate.  General 
Root,  made  a  sarcastic  reply  to  Mr.  Butler.  "Why,"  said  the 
general,  "  I  can't  bear  this  law,  for  it  excludes  a  great  class  of  the 
best  witnesses  from  our  courts  —  the  Calvinists.  They  believe  in 
a  God  who  has  appointed  everything,  so  that  he  cannot  turn  aside 
from  his  plans  to  punish  the  perjurer." 

Butler  made  a  noble  reply  to  this.  "  I  would  advise,"  said  he, 
"  the  gentleman  from  Delaware  to  read  the  charge  of  Bishop 
Horsley  to  his  clergy,  delivered  the  other  day.  '  Gentlemen,'  said 
the  bishop,  '  be  careful  what  you  say  about  Calvinism,  lest,  under 
that  venerable  name,  you  censure  some  of  the  most  affecting  doc- 
trines of  the  Bible.'  " 

I  sat  within  the  bar,  in  Mr.  Butler's  chair  ;  and,  while  I  was 
there,  your  old  friend  came  around  to  rally  Mr.  Butler,  and  I  was 
introduced  to  him.  He  inquired  earnestly  about  you,  and  wished 
me  to  be  sure  to  tender  to  you  his  kindest  remembrances  and  best 
respects. 

Albany  is  full  of  politics  ;  and  I  pray  God  that,  when  the  synod 
breaks  up,  we  may  leave  it  full  of  religion.  The  session  of  the 
16 


182  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

Legislature  brings  a  host  of  politicians  here,  and  this  is  the  head- 
quarters of  the  State  political  committees.  I  happen  to  be  per-, 
sonally  acquainted  with  some  gentlemen  upon  these  committees,  on 
both  sides.  The  excitement  about  the  great  election  that  is  coming 
on  is  intense,  and  it  makes  me  sad  to  see  the  wire-pulling  that  is 
going  on  here.  These  committees  have  immense  sums  of  money  at 
their  disposal,  to  be  employed  in  the  approaching  election.  A  part 
of  it  goes  in  printing  and  scattering  books  and  papers,  but  a 
greater  portion,  I  think,  in  the  corrupt  and  direct  uses  of  bribery. 

0,  my  dear  brother,  it  makes  me  very  sad  to  see  how  things  are 
going  in  regard  to  this  business  of  suffrage.  There  is  a  deep  under- 
current which  decides  our  elections  that  is  swayed  by  money. 

I  shall  go  home,  I  hope,  in  a  few  days.     I  long  for  the  quiet  and 
bliss  of  my  dear  home.     Mrs.  W.  has  not  yet  returned  from  the 
West,  but  I  trust  she  is  on  her  way.     Make  assurances  of  my  best 
love  to  your  dear  children,  and  remember  that  I  am  always 
Your  most  affectionate  brother, 

T.    WOODBRIDGE. 

In  October,  1829, 1  attended  the  Albany  Synod,  of 
which  I  was  a  member.  It  assembled  this  year  in 
Schenectady.  The  meeting  of  synod  was  very  fall, 
and  an  active  and  laborious  part  was  assigned  to  me. 
Some  account  of  my  position  in  synod  will  be  per- 
ceived by  the  following  letter  to  my  family : 

Schenectady,  October  3,  1829. 

Dear  Mrs.  Warren,  and  Dear  C.  Maria,  —  It  is  now  Saturday 
evening,  7  o'clock,  and  I  suppose  some  of  my  dear  people  are  now 
assembling  in  their  accustomed  Saturday  evening  prayer-meeting. 
It  would  be  delightful  to  be  with  them.  I  have  a  thousand  sweet 
and  hallowed  memories  connected  with  that  meeting. 

The  synod  is  very  full,  and  I  have  a  great  deal  of  work  assigned 
me.  To-morrow  morning,  I  am  to  preach  the  synodical  communion 
sermon,  and  feel  very  sad  about  it.  My  audience  will  be  immense, 
and  will  contain  more  than  a  hundred  educated  ministers.  I  do 
not  like  these  rcsponf-ji!)ilities  that  thicken  upon  mo,  hut  I  trust 
(iod  will  carry  me  through  them, 

I  perceive  that  t  am  regarded   here  as  an  off-hand  speaker  ;  for 


A  BLIND  MINISTER.  183 

every  time  there  is  a  platform  erected,  I  am  called  upon  to  address 
the  asscuiLly.  0,  how  I  long  to  breathe  the  quiet  and  hallowed 
atmosphere  of  home.  I  think  a  great  deal  of  my  congregation,  and 
I  pray  God  to  be  with  them  to-morrow  in  the  sanctuary.  They 
will  be  without  a  preacher,  but  I  trust  will  have  a  profitable 
meeting. 

Next  week,  tlie  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions  meet 
in  Albany,  and  I  must  remain  there  to  attend  that  important  con- 
vocation. I  sliall  rojoice  to  get  through  these  public  and  exciting 
meetings.  I  am  very  much  worn  down  by  my  labors  on  com- 
mittees and  public  speaking.  It  seems  strange  that  the  minister  of 
the  quiet  and  obscure  congregation  of  Green  River  should  be  thrown 
so  much  before  the  public  gaze. 

I  never  thought  so  seriously  and  tenderly  of  my  fiimily  as  now. 
Take  care  of  your  health  and  happiness.  Do  not  ply  the  oar  of 
labor  too  steadily.  The  house  is  full  of  books,  and  you  may 
abandon  yourselves  to  the  pleasures  of  reading.  I  remember  you 
earnestly  at  the  throne  of  grace,  that  the  God  of  all  the  families 
of  the  earth,  but  especially  of  those  of  Israel,  would  take  care  of 
you,  and  cheer  and  bless  you  during  my  absence.  I  shall  leave 
Albany  at  the  moment  the  Board  adjourns,  and  hie  away  to  my 
peaceful  home. 

Remember  me  affectionately  to  all  of  the  congregation  you  meet, 
and  remember  that  I  am  always,  most  devotedly  and  sincerely, 

Your  friend, 

T.    WOODBRIDGE. 

Soon  after  my  settlement  at  Green  River,  I  began 
to  make  efforts  to  raise  the  standard  of  education. 
That  great  interest  had  been  in  a  low  and  languishing 
state.  A  few  families,  who  were  bent  upon  the  edu- 
cation of  their  children,  and  those  in  easy  circum- 
stances, had  sent  their  children  abroad  to  schools. 
But  I  wanted  to  bring  the  means  of  a  good  education 
within  the  reach  of  the  whole  community  ;  and,  in 
reference  to  these  views,  several  of  the  best  men  of 
the  congregation  joined  me  in  the  enterprise  to  set  up 
a  classical  school.     We  instituted  and  sustained  such 


184  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

a  school  very  successfully;  and,  in  a  few  years,  we 
erected  an  elegant  edifice,  which  we  called  the  Green 
Eiver  Academy. 

This  establishment  commonly  contained  from  forty 
to  sixty  scholars ;  and  my  friend,  President  Hopkins, 
sent  us  a  succession  of  superior  teachers.  The  region 
around  me  made  rapid  and  visible  advancement  in  all 
its  moral,  intellectual,  and  social  relations  and  inter- 
ests. The  progress  of  refinement,  in  conversation, 
manners,  and  modes  of  living,  was  very  perceivable, 
and  was  often  the  subject  of  remark. 

In  1828,  a  grandson  of  my  excellent  housekeeper, 
about  a  year  and  a  half  old,  whose  father  resided  in 
Stockbridge,  came  to  spend  a  little  time  under  the 
roof  of  his  grandmother  and  aunt.  There  was  no 
design  in  any  of  the  parties  concerned  that  he  should 
make  our  house  his  permanent  home;  but  he  soon 
became  identified  with  us,  and  a  mutual  attachment 
quickly  sprung  up,  so  that  the  idea  of  parting  was 
inadmissible.  I  gave  him  my  name,  and  he  was  prac- 
tically adopted  as  my  son.  He  was  a  fine  boy,  and 
proved  a  bond  of  union  and  great  comfort  to  us  all. 
I  bestowed  assiduous  pains  upon  his  education,  and 
kept  him  at  good  schools,  at  home  and  abroad,  till  he 
was  seventeen  or  eighteen,  when  I  sent  him  to  New 
York  to  take  a  clerkship  in  a  bookstore.  He  is  a 
prominent  clerk  in  the  largest  book  establishment  on 
the  continent.  He  is  greatly  endeared  to  me,  and  I 
have  always  taken  a  deep  interest  in  his  well-doing 
and  well-being.  I  have  written  him  a  long  succession 
of  letters,  and  have  thought  of  publishing  them  for 
the  benefit  of  other  young  men  in  our  cities.  The 
limits  and  design  of  this  book  will  not  permit  me  to 


A  BLIND   MINISTER.  185 

interweave  many  of  these  letters  in  this  narrative.  I 
happen  to  have  one  lying  on  my  table,  from  which  I 
will  here  make  a  few  extracts : 

Spencertown,  May  G,  1840. 

My  Vert  Dear  Timothy,  —  We  all  love  you  tenderly,  and  take 
a  deep  concern  in  your  doing  well.  In  regard  to  your  change  of 
place,  if  your  own  judgment  approves  it,  I  am  satisfied.  If  you 
should  think  of  another  change,  you  had  better  consult  me,  unless 
the  case  should  be  as  plain  as  daylight.  You  have,  I  trust,  great 
application  to  your  business.  Application  is  the  only  source  of  im- 
provement. Pray  take  care  of  your  evenings.  Do  not  waste  them  in 
running  about  the  city  or  seeking  for  amusements.  Your  numerous 
friends  from  the  country,  who  visit  New  York,  will  I  fear,  want  to 
take  up  your  evenings  in  getting  you  to  show  them  the  lions  and 
amusements  of  the  city.  This  you  cannot  afford.  Give  a  portion 
of  every  evening  to  reading.  The  business  of  the  day,  and  the 
opening  into  future  departments  of  business  which  will  occur,  will 
furnish  very  often  profitable  material  for  study  in  the  evening. 

Take  care,  my  dear  boy,  how  you  spend  your  Sundays,  and  may 
God  bless  you.  I  want  you  to  be  sure  to  have  a  religious  home. 
Have  a  place  in  some  church  you  approve,  and  appear  steadily  there, 
that  you  may  be  known  by  a  part  of  the  congregation.  I  want 
you  to  have  also  a  secular  home,-  that  is,  a  room  which  you 
shall  consider  a  home.  Have  some  books,  paper,  pen  and  ink  upon 
your  table.  Be  sure  to  keep  on  that  table  your  elegant  Bible,  and 
read  a  portion  of  it  every  day.  Think  of  my  advice  when  you  left 
homo.  Make  yourself  so  useful  to  your  employers  that  they  cannot 
possibly  do  without  you.  Your  wages  will  be  in  proportion  to  your 
proficiency  in  business.  Above  all  things,  be  a  man  of  integrity, 
virtue,  and  high  respectability.  These  qualities,  under  God's  gov- 
ernment, will  secure  you  influence  and  happiness.  You  are  in  quest 
of  fortune  and  fame  ;  but,  let  that  quest  turn  out  as  it  may,  if  you 
possess  the  qualities  I  have  named,  you  cannot  fail  of  success  in  all 
that  is  most  valuable. 

"This  above  all  —  to  thine  own  self  be  true, 
And  it  must  follow,  as  the  night  the  day. 
Thou  canst  not  then  be  false  to  any  man." 

Think  of  your  blessed  home.     If  sickness  or  any  calamity  should 
16* 


186  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

befal  you,  hie  away  to  this  home  of  aflPection.  The  eyes  of  a  large 
circle  of  most  respectable  friends  and  connections  are  concentrated 
upon  you.  Think  of  this,  and  think  especially  that  the  eye  of  God 
is  always  upon  you,  and  you  cannot  act  unworthily.  "We  remem- 
ber you  earnestly  at  our  domestic  altar. 

Farewell,  dear  son,  and  may  God  bless  and  preserve  you. 

T.  WooDBRrocE. 

About  the  year  1828,  an  unwonted  scheme  came 
into  operation  for  promoting  religion  among  the 
churches  in  the  region  around  me.  It  was  introduced 
at  a  time  when  God  was  blessing  our  congregations 
with  the  descent  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  This  scheme 
came  into  being  without  much  contrivance  or  design 
in  any  of  the  parties  concerned.  It  was  a  conference 
of  the  churches  for  the  interesting  object  of  promot- 
ing religious  edification.  Lay  delegates  from  a  circle 
of  neighboring  churches  were  appointed,  commonly 
two  in  a  church,  to  repair  to  any  congregation  in  the 
vicinity  where  they  were  invited.  These  meetings 
were,  at  the  first,  very  acceptable  and  refreshing  to 
the  churches  which  were  visited;  but,  in  the  progress 
of  the  scheme,  a  large  lay  element  was  thrown  into 
the  business  of  public  instruction,  and  some  encroach- 
ments were  made  upon  the  oflSce  of  the  pastor. 

It  was  their  custom  to  appoint  one  of  their  number, 
a  layman,  to  preside  through  their  meetings.  The 
pastor  of  the  congregation  was,  for  the  most  part,  a 
silent  auditor ;  and  a  custom  grew  up,  in  the  progress 
of  the  movement,  of  calling  on  the  pastor  to  come  out 
in  public  and  make  his  confessions.  This  fashion  was 
attended  with  some  unhappy  results,  and  it  soon  be- 
came necessary  to  regulate  this  new  system  of  action ; 
and  it  was  quickly  determined  that,  in  every  meeting, 


A  BLIND  MINISTER.  187 

the  pastor  should  be  the  conductor.  These  things, 
like  most  other  lay  movements,  in  the  progress  of 
events,  were  perverted.  The  original  simple  design 
was  lost  sight  of,  and  evil  consequences  supervened. 
Church  conferences,  better  regulated  than  these  cas- 
ual movements,  have  since  been  in  practice  in  many- 
sections  of  the  church,  and  have  been  greatly  blessed. 
I  am  acquainted  with  some  church  conferences  which 
are  means  of  great  refreshment  and  edification  in  the 
regions  where  they  are  sustained. 

But  the  church  conferences  of  Berkshire  and  Colum- 
bia counties,  which  sprang  up  in  the  early  and  middle 
part  of  my  ministry,  were  a  kind  of  first  instalment 
of  another  scheme,  which  eclipsed  and  displaced 
them. 

In  about  the  middle  of  my  pastoral  life,  the  scheme 
of  New  Measureism  rose  upon  the  church.  It  came 
up  like  a  baleful  meteor,  scattering  sparks  which  ig- 
nited the  combustible  materials  upon  which  they  hap- 
pened to  fall.  New  Measureism,  as  this  scheme  is 
commonly  called,  though  such  irregularities  have  ap- 
peared in  every  age  of  the  church,  sprang  up  in 
Western  New  York.  My  first  reports  of  it  were  con- 
fused and  contradictory,  and  I  hardly  knew  what  to 
think  of  it.  I  was  inclined  to  hope  that  it  would 
prove  to  be  a  development  of  a  more  ardent  and 
active  spirit  of  piety  in  the  churches.  New  Measure 
men,  calling  themselves  evangelists,  began  to  sweep 
over  the  portion  of  country  where  I  resided.  They 
flamed  like  meteors,  and  attracted  the  wondering  gaze 
of  multitudes.  They  menaced  ruin  to  every  pastor 
who  did  not  fall  into  their  train.  These  men  managed 
to  get  an  entrance  into  a  succession  of  contiguous 


188  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

congregations.  They  made  the  acquaintance  of  some 
of  the  excitable  members  of  the  church  which  they 
intended  to  assail ;  they  pressed  these  church  members, 
who  imbibed  a  portion  of  their  spirit,  to  insist  on  calling 
a  church-meeting,  and  to  coerce  their  pastors,  if  possi- 
ble, to  set  up  a  protracted  meeting.  They  contrived  to 
attend  the  meeting  of  the  church  where  this  question 
was  agitated ;  they  put  themselves  forward  with  great 
boldness  and  intrusion,  and  called  upon  all  the  church 
who  wanted  a  protracted  meeting  to  rise,  or  come  into 
the  aisle.  Some  of  the  church  obeyed  the  call,  either 
from  an  affinity  with  these  men,  or  from  a  fear  of  being 
regarded  opposers  of  the  work  of  God. 

It  often  happened  that  the  solid,  judicious,  and  effi- 
cient members  of  the  church  did  not  rise  or  come  into 
the  aisle.  The  New  Measure  preacher  then  thundered 
forth  a  tirade  of  vituperation  over  their  heads.  He 
accused  them  of  being  cold  and  dead  and  stupid  — 
going  to  hell,  and  leading  others  with  them.  They 
were  often  told  that  they  were  without  God  in  the 
world,  that  they  had  no  belief  in  the  providence  or 
agency  of  a  God.  It  often  happened  that  these  men 
carried  with  them  the  majority  of  the  church,  and  a 
protracted  meeting  was  determined  on.  The  pastor 
was  then  thrown  into  the  background,  if  possible, 
and  the  intruder  conducted  the  meeting  which  had 
been  agreed  upon.  The  pastor  on  the  spot,  and  the 
surrounding  pastors,  were  denounced  as  being  as 
"  cold  as  ice,"  "  old  fogies,"  and  no  better  than  "  dead 
trees,  good  to  catch  the  lightning  of  heaven,  and  keep 
it  away  from  the  green  saplings." 

The  preachers  approached  individuals,  and  groups 
of  men,  with  questions  of  this  kind:  "Are  you  pro- 


A  BLIND  MINISTER.  189 

fessors  of  religion,  or  Christians?"  If  such  an  ono 
found  they  were  professors  of  religion,  he  denounced 
them  as  being  stumbling-blocks,  stopping  the  car  of 
Immanuel.  They  were  then  urged,  if  they  wanted  to 
know  what  religion  was,  to  come  to  the  protracted 
meeting  that  was  going  on. 

In  these  protracted  meetings,  people  were  prayed 
for  by  name,  and  their  sins,  which  the  preacher  knew 
or  imagined,  were  spread  out  and  magnified  before 
the  congregation.  Females  were  then  compelled,  in 
mixed  meetings  of  both  sexes,  to  pray  and  speak;  and 
if,  from  their  native  modesty,  they  declined  or  hesi- 
tated, the  presumptuous  preacher  would  kneel  down 
and  offer  up  a  prayer,  often  to  this  effect :  "  0  God, 
have  mercy  upon  these  proud  women ;  make  them 
pray,  and  make  them  talk  in  meeting.  Take  away 
pride  out  of  their  bosoms,  and  stir  them  up  to  pray 
and  exhort,  that  they  may  not  go  away  grieving  the 
Spirit." 

After  a  prayer  of  this  kind,  females  would  com- 
monly begin  their  exhortations  and  prayers,  utterly 
contrary  as  such  practices  are  to  the  plainest  appoint- 
ments and  directions  of  God's  Word.  But  New  Meas- 
ureism  has  but  little  reverence  for  the  Biblo. 

There  were  among  the  preachers  of  this  new  and 
irregular  scheme  some  who  were  leaders.  They  car- 
ried with  them,  in  their  travels,  a  great  and  striking 
machinery  of  artifices  and  measures  to  excite  public 
attention.  These  leaders  had  a  multitude  of  imitators, 
who  modified  their  machinery  to  suit  their  own  genius 
and  habits. 

These  preachers  also  had  in  their  train  a  great  num- 
ber of  laymen,  who  acted  under  their  direction,  and 


190  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

denounced  all  who  did  not  come  to  the  popular  meet- 
ing. In  their  prayers,  the  preachers  and  their  abettors 
used  very  much  familiar  and  irreverent  talk  towards 
God.  They  were  sometimes  quite  blasphemous ;  but 
they  taught  their  hearers  to  believe  that  all  who  did 
not  approve  of  this  style  of  conduct  were  in  the  way 
to  hell. 

In  their  prayer-meetings,  they  called  upon  persons 
to  rise,  or  come  into  the  aisle.  On  one  occasion,  a 
venerable,  gray-headed  man  rose  for  prayer,  and  the 
address  from  the  preacher  was, "  What  I  you  old  gray- 
headed  sinner;  do  you  want  prayers?  You  ought  to 
have  been  in  hell  long  ago  I " 

They  put  themselves  in  the  place  of  God,  and  con- 
sidered every  one  who  declined  their  machinery,  or 
was  unwilling  to  be  trained  by  them,  to  be  a  rebel 
against  God;  and  multitudes,  to  my  certain  knowl- 
ege,  were  told  that,  if  they  did  not  rise  at  the  bidding 
of  the  preacher,  they  would  insult  the  Spirit  of  God, 
and  if  they  did  not  come  to  the  anxious-seat,  they 
would  never  be  converted.  I  heard  a  regular  pastor, 
who  in  his  sober  hours  repudiated  every  form  of  New 
Measureism,  once  so  far  carried  away  by  fear  of  de- 
nunciation, that,  after  calling  upon  all  who  wanted  to 
be  prayed  for  to  rise,  and  finding  that  none  did  rise, 
began  his  prayer  with  these  words :  "  Oh  !  insulted 
Spirit,  do  not  cast  off  and  abandon  to  a  reprobate 
mind  this  multitude  of  sinners  who  have  dared  to  in- 
sult thee,  when  they  were  called  to  come  out  and  dis- 
play their  feeling  before  the  public." 

Such  artifices  as  these  prevailed  in  the  time  of 
Edwards  and  Whitfield.  These  modern  imitators 
knew  that  their  conduct  had  been  exemplified  in  the 


A  BLIND   MINISTER.  191 

days  of  the  immortal  Edwards ;  but  those  were  think- 
ing and  sober  days,  and  they  succeeded  b}^  their  arti- 
fices, even  at  that  time,  in  stopping  the  work  of  God. 
But  they  hoped  and  believed  that  the  people  in  these 
modern  times  would  not  read  the  works  of  Edwards, 
and  if  they  did,  they  could  tell  them,  "  The  times  are 
different.  We  must  not  go  to  the  experience  of  the 
past.  Men's  habits  and  tastes  are  different  from  what 
they  were  formerly,  and  revivals  are  different  dispen- 
sations." 

With  these  arguments,  they  endeavored  to  suppress 
the  spirit  of  inquiry,  examination,  and  comparison. 
When,  under  the  preaching  of  a  godly  pastor,  a  revival 
had  begun,  these  New  Measure  men  did  all  in  their 
power  to  stop  it.  They  undertook  to  show  that  it 
could  not  be  genuine,  from  the  nature  of  the  preach- 
ing, and  that,  if  there  was  anything  genuine  in  the 
work,  it  came  from  other  things  —  that  is.  New  Meas- 
ure things  — that  happened  to  be  intermixed  with  the 
means  which  were  used.  It  was  a  great  object  to 
throw  obloquy  upon  experienced^,  excellent,  and  long- 
tried  pastors.  They  were  determined  to  break  them 
up,  and  they  scattered  the  firebrands  of  strife  where- 
ever  they  went.  Some  pastors  had  the  firmness  to 
resist  them,  and  kept  their  ground ;  but  others,  who 
yielded  to  the  pressure,  and  let  them  into  their  folds, 
were  quickly  driven  off  by  the  strife  which  was  pro- 
duced. Those  churches  that  kept  up  their  hedges 
are  now  the  largest  and  most  influential  churches  in 
this  region,  while  all  those  who  admitted  the  new- 
comers were  broken  up  or  diminished. 

The  ministers  who  carried  on  these  irregular  pro- 
ceedings applied  unscriptural  and  false  tests  of  con- 


192  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

version.  The  minister  in  a  protracted  meeting  would 
go  into  his  anxious-room  and  inquire  of  the  inmates, 
"Are  you  a  Christian  ?  "  If  he  received  an  unfavorable 
reply,  "  Why  not?  "  he  would  say.  "  You  can  be  a  Chris- 
tian in  a  minute.  Get  down  on  your  knees,  and  say 
the  Lord's  prayer."  When  that  was  repeated,  the  in- 
quirer for  the  way  to  heaven  was  numbered  among  the 
Israel  of  God,  and  sent  back  into  the  other  department 
of  the  protracted  meeting. 

Females  were  assured  that  the  cause  of  their  not 
being  Christians  was  the  cherishing  of  some  idol ;  there 
was  a  cross  they  would  not  take  up ;  they  would  not 
speak  in  meeting ;  and  the  young  lady  was  constrained 
to  rise  and  speak  in  a  crowded  meeting,  and  was  then 
told,  she  had  "  thrown  out  of  the  way  the  only  obsta- 
cle to  her  conversion."  She  had  then  crucified  her 
sinful  nature,  in  the  opinion  of  the  preacher,  when,  in 
fact,  the  only  thing  she  had  crucified  was  her  sense  of 
propriety. 

The  protracted  meetings  involved  in  this  movement 
were  very  much  relied  on  for  efi'ect.  They  were  the 
sources  and  centres  of  great  excitement ;  but  when 
the  protracted  meeting  closed,  there  was  usually  a 
great  reaction.  It  was  common,  after  a  crowded  pro- 
tracted meeting  was  stopped,  for  the  congregation  to 
be  greatly  diminished.  Few  attended,  when  the  ex- 
citements of  what  was  called  the  Holy  Convocation 
were  over.  The  Sabbath,  with  its  appointed  solemni- 
ties, became  insipid.  There  was  but  little  taste  for 
God's  appointed  means  of  grace.  The  people  had 
been  accustomed  to  the  excitements  of  machinery,  and 
when  the  machinery  was  suspended,  there  was  but 
little  interest  felt  in  public  religious  meetings.     An 


A  BLIND  MINISTER.  193 

unhealthy  state  iu  the  public  mind  was  produced. 
Churches  acquired  a  habit  of  depending  on  a  period- 
ical excitement  for  the  progress  of  religion.  The 
religious  work  for  the  year  was  to  be  done  up  in  a 
few  weeks ;  the  remainder  of  the  year  might  be  spent 
carelessly,  with  little  mindfulness  of  the  prosperity 
of  Zion,  anticipating  another  spasmodic  progress. 
Multitudes  of  hasty  and  superficial  converts  were 
brought  into  the  churches ;  discipline  was  relaxed ; 
and  the  standard  of  morality,  in  many  places,  was 
lower  in  the  churches  than  it  was  in  the  outside  com- 
munity. 

In  this  unholy  state  of  things,  discord  arose  in  the 
churches ;  secessions  and  separations  took  place,  and 
pastors  were  dismissed.  The  districts  of  the  country 
swept  over  by  this  imposture  and  fanaticism  have  been 
commonly  called  the  burnt  districts  of  the  church. 
But  New  Measureism  has  lost  its  power ;  its  machin- 
ery is  ineffectual.  Itinerant  evangelists  cannot  excite 
attention  or  gain  followers.  Here  and  there  a  minis- 
ter settles  in  a  church,  and,  from  his  perverted  taste, 
or  early  prejudices,  takes  up  some  portion  of  the  ma- 
chinery of  New  Measureism;  but  it  soon  becomes  dis- 
gusting ;  his  ministry  in  a  little  time  proves  abortive, 
and  he  is  compelled  to  leave  the  field. 

These  irregular  movements  have  obtained  in  former 
periods  of  the  church,  but  have  always  been  transient. 
The  late  irregularities  have  passed  away,  and  probably 
will  not  return  during  the  memory  of  the  present 
generation.  Let  Israel  adhere  firmly  and  steadfastly 
to  the  doctrine  according  to  godliness ;  let  the  Bible 
be  the  sheet  anchor ;  and  let  no  measures  be  recog- 
nized or  approved  but  those  appointed  in  the  Word 

17 


194:  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

of  God.  Human  inventions  and  machinery,  cunningly- 
contrived  to  catch  public  attention,  are  now  well  un- 
derstood by  all  intelligent  Christians,  and  cannot  for 
some  time  play  off  their  mischievous  antics  upon  the 
church. 

I  would  deal  with  this,  as  well  as  every  other  sub- 
ject, with  Christian  candor.  Some  good  undoubtedly 
was  involved  in  the  range  of  these  movements.  Some 
conversions  took  place,  by  the  agency  of  God's  good 
Spirit,  amid  the  scenes  of  confusion.  But  this  is  a 
very  insufficient  defence  of  the  scheme.  There  is 
hardly  anything  in  this  world  that  is  purely  evil. 
^^  There  is  a  soul  of  good,"  says  the  great  poet  of  na- 
ture, "in  things  most  evil.''  The  Roman  Catholic 
church  has  done  immense  good  to  our  race,  in  pre- 
serving the  lights  of  ancient  literature,  and  in  civil- 
izing the  barbarous  nations  who  broke  down  the 
Roman  empire ;  and  has  undoubtedly  trained  up  and 
embraced  in  its  enclosure  many  pious  and  devout  per- 
sons. But  evil  has  greatly  predominated ;  and,  not- 
withstanding it  has  involved  good  to  mankind,  it  has 
been  a  stupendous  system  of  superstition  and  oppres- 
sion. And  it  is  greatly  to  be  feared  that  the  evil  in 
the  system  of  New  Measureism  vastly  overbalanced 
the  good.  If  some  conversions  were  made,  multitudes 
were  perverted. 

New  Measureism  exercised  a  particularly  baleful 
influence  over  the  Presbyterian  church.  Its  vulgarities 
and  arrogance  drove  many  families  of  decided  piety, 
intellectual  culture,  and  good  taste  into  other  denom- 
inations. Yery  many  took  shelter  from  the  chill  blast 
of  New  Measureism  under  the  regulated  forms  of  the 
Episcopal  church.     This  occurred  to  a  great  extent  in 


A  BLIND  MINISTER.  195 

tho  State  of  New  York,  where  the  new  movements 
were  particularly  wild  and  unchristian.  The  ministers 
who  pushed  forward  the  machinery  under  considera- 
tion were  thought,  at  first,  by  many,  to  be  swayed  by 
an  ardent  zeal  for  God.  But  enterprises  in  this  de- 
partment of  ministerial  labor  became  very  profitable ; 
fortunes  were  made  by  leaders  ;  and  it  was  thought  by 
the  good  and  candid  not  to  be  an  uncharitable  conclu- 
sion that  they  were  swayed  by  avarice.  The  lovo 
of  money  explained  a  great  deal  of  their  conduct. 
When  the  movement  ceased  to  be  profitable,  it  was 
abandoned  by  its  leaders  and  deserted  by  its  abettors. 

During  my  ministry,  a  class  of  persons  called  one- 
idea  men  greatly  multiplied.  There  have  always  been 
men  of  this  description ;  but,  thirty  years  ago,  they 
began  to  be  much  more  numerous.  They  narrow 
down  their  vision  to  one  subject ;  they  pore  over  that 
till  it  looms  up  and  fills  the  whole  field  of  their  mental 
vision.  They  can  see  and  feel  nothing  else.  A  great 
number  of  crotchets  have  been  taken  up  by  difierent 
persons.  A  clique  of  men  will  attach  themselves  to 
a  certain  crotchet,  which  seems  to  them  to  contain  all 
truth  and  righteousness.  They  turn  this  fancy  into  a 
hobby,  and  ride  it  with  great  ostentation,  denouncing 
all  who  do  not  follow  in  their  train. 

Each  clique  declares  that  the  enterprise  they  have 
in  hand  is  the  grand  and  fundamental  one  of  the  age ; 
that  the  reform  they  contemplate  will  redeem  society 
from  those  sins  which  draw  down  the  judgments  of 
God.  They  push  their  ideas  and  measures  to  great 
extremes,  and  claim  the  credit  of  uncommon  boldness 
and  energy  and  independence,  because  they  are  ready 
for  the  last  push  of  ultraism.     Those  who  do  not  join 


196  AUTOBIOGEAPHT  OF 

them  they  call  cowards,  old  fogies,  and  temporizers, 
when,  in  fact,  the  only  independent  class  of  men  in 
my  day  has  been  moderate  men. 

These  ultra  reformers,  in  their  various  and  numer- 
ous departments  of  reform,  all  demand  the  pulpit,  and 
claim  its  advocacy  for  their  particular  crotchet.  The 
minister  who  does  not  yield  to  them  is  denounced  in 
their  paper ;  for  they  all  have  a  newspaper,  which  is 
their  organ.  I  have  seen  some  of  the  best  and  most 
influential  ministers  denounced,  in  language  of  un- 
measured vituperation,  for  declining  to  open  their  pul- 
pits for  the  advocates  of  some  one  of  these  crotchets. 
It  is  cheering  to  remark,  that  I  have  observed, 
for  a  few  of  the  last  years,  this  class  of  men,  who  dis- 
turb the  onward  progress  of  truth  and  righteousness, 
declining  in  numbers  and  influence. 

I  will  illustrate  this  hallucination  by  a  few  speci- 
mens. I  was  once  at  the  house  of  an  excellent  and 
well-educated  minister,  in  the  eastern  part  of  Massa- 
chusetts, in  the  latter  part  of  our  last  war  with  Great 
Britain.  He  stated  to  me,  with  great  gravity  and  deep 
feeling,  that  he  had  no  doubt  but  the  judgments  of 
God  were  abroad  over  our  land,  in  consequence  of  our 
desecrating  Saturday  night.  "There  is  a  great  de- 
parture," said  he,  "  from  the  scriptural  mode  of  reck- 
oning time,  in  the  multitudes  of  cases  we  have  ob- 
served, in  families  neglecting  to  consider  Saturday 
night  as  a  part  of  the  hallowed  hours." 

Other  preachers  and  agents  often  wanted  my  pulpit 
that  they  might  open  up  to  the  congregation  the 
unutterable  sin  of  slavery.  They  maintained  and 
believed,  I  have  no  doubt  in  good  faith,  that  the  tol- 
eration of  slavery  in  any  part  of  the  United  States 


A  BLIND   MINISTER.  197 

was  the  grand  and  almost  exclusive  sin  of  the  nation, 
and  was  the  cause  of  all  the  judgments  of  God  which 
were  abroad  in  the  land.  A  clerical  gentleman  of  the 
Moral  Reform  Society  came  to  me,  and  wanted  my 
pulpit,  that  he  might  show  to  the  people  that  the  sin 
of  licentiousness  was  the  single  and  exclusive  cause 
of  all  the  wrathful  visitations  of  God ;  and  that,  if  it 
were  not  stopped  by  the  agency  of  the  Moral  Reform 
Society,  desolation  would  come  over  the  fair  borders 
of  this  beautiful  country. 

I  could  give  scores  of  instances  of  this  kind  of  fa- 
naticism and  exclusiveness.  It  is  melancholy  to  see  a 
human  being  narrowing  down  his  mind  to  a  single  idea ; 
but  we  have  seen  very  much  of  it  in  our  day  and  gen- 
eration. 

In  the  spring  of  1832,  the  Great  Head  of  the  church 
blessed  us  with  another  extensive  and  protracted 
revival  scene.  Several  striking  conversions  had  oc- 
curred, and  we  seemed  to  be  on  the  edge  of  another 
glorious  outpouring  of  the  Spirit  of  God.  In  these 
circumstances,  I  ventured  upon  the  experiment  of  a 
protracted  meeting,  and  invited  several  neighboring 
pastors  to  aid  me  in  sustaining  this  religious  convoca- 
tion. The  religious  interest  kept  on,  and  perhaps  was 
rather  increased  by  the  protracted  meeting ;  but  I 
doubt  exceedingly  whether  that  meeting  was,  on  the 
whole,  particularly  beneficial.  It  did  not  do  us  any 
injury,  because  it  produced  but  little  excitement ;  and 
the  silent  stream  of  holy  influence  went  on  undis- 
turbed in  its  course. 

Our  religious  meetings  were  less  numerous  than  in 
the  previous  general  revival ;  but  the  work  was  deep, 
and  productive  of  the  most  excellent  results.  A  large 
17* 


198  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   A  BLIND   MINISTER. 

number  of  heads  of  families  were  brought  into  the 
kingdom  of  Christ,  and  many  a  domestic  altar  was 
built  to  God.  The  effect  of  this  second  revival  was 
widespread,  deep,  and  lasting ;  and  many  a  soul  on 
earth  and  in  heaven  will  have  occasion  to  praise  and 
bless  God  for  this  gracious  visitation. 

I  may  hereafter  give  some  incidents  and  conversa- 
tions which  transpired  in  this  revival. 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

MY   MINISTRY   AT   GREEN   RIVER. 

Tour  to  the  West.  —  Letter  to  my  Family.  —  Reading  cf  Campbell's 
Gertrude,  and  his  remarks  when  he  heard  of  it.  —  Call  to  West 
Stockbridge  Village.  —  Mode  of  Preparing  Sermons.  —  Economy  of 
my  Household.  —  Description  of  my  dog  Trippy.  —  The  Trout 
Stream,  Green  River.  —  Call  from  Spencertown.  —  State  of  Feeling 
in  Green  River.  —  Retrospection. 

In  September,  1833, 1  went  to  Oswego  county,  in 
Western  New  York,  in  company  with  my  loved  sister, 
Mrs.  Lester,  and  two  nephews.  We  went  to  Con- 
stantia,  to  visit  two  enterprising  nephews,  who  had 
recently  removed  to  that  village,  and  set  up  a  large 
iron  furnace.  Some  account  of  my  journey,  and  my 
situation  and  occupation  in  Constantia,  may  be  per- 
ceived in  the  following  letter  : 

Constantia,  September  9,  1838. 

My  Very  Dear  Family,  —  It  is  now  Monday  morning,  and, 
though  I  have  been  from  the  house  but  a  week,  it  seems  an  age. 
It  cheers  my  heart  to  sit  down  this  morning  and  commune  with 
my  family.  I  wrote  you  from  every  principal  stage  of  my  journey, 
and  I  trust  you  received  my  letters.  You  must  know  how  steadily 
my  heart  beats  towards  you.  I  would  give  almost  anything  for 
a  letter  from  my  dear  family  to-day.  I  hope  for  such  a  boon.  I 
often  pray  for  you,  and  I  trust  everything  goes  well  with  you. 

I  can  hardly  tell  you  how  glad  these  families  here  are  to  see  us. 
Our  visit  here  makes  us  very  happy,  and  they  show  us  every  kind- 
ness you  can  imagine.  Our  party  all  have  ferocious  colds.  Mine 
is  the  worst  I  ever  experienced.  The  climate,  from  Utiea  to  this 
place,  is  exceedingly  humid ;  everything  you  touch  seems  damp. 

(199) 


200  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

The  mornings  and  evenings  are  moist  beyond  everything  I  ever 
experienced  elsewhere. 

I  want  to  give  you  some  account  of  this  place.  The  road  stretches 
along  the  lake  shore,  very  near  the  margin  of  the  water,  for  eight 
miles.  East  of  here,  along  the  lake,  there  is  a  succession  of  culti- 
vated farms,  without  any  intervening  woods.  The  cleared  and 
cultivated  land  is  from  half  a  mile  to  a  mile  in  breadth,  and 
beyond  that  limit  stands  the  primeval  forest,  with  only  here  and 
there,  at  great  distances,  a  small  clearing.  The  country  seems  new, 
raw,  and  strange  to  me.  The  village  here  contains  only  about  three 
hundred  people,  and  everybody  talks  of  the  mighty  impulse  that  has 
been  given  to  it  since  my  nephews  came  and  took  the  furnace  into 
their  hands. 

This  seems  a  new  position  to  me.  I  have  never  been  much  con- 
versant with  lakes ;  but  Oneida  lake  stretches  out  just  under  my 
windows,  and  the  mighty  Ontario  is  but  a  few  miles  north.  In 
looking  across  Oneida  lake,  the  eye  wanders  over  portions  of 
Onondaga,  Oneida,  and  Madison  counties.  This  lake  has  some 
glorious  and  classic  associations.  C.  E.  L.  and  I  have  been  out  on 
the  lake  shore,  in  these  sunny  days,  and  twice  read  over  Campbell's 
Gertrude  of  Wyoming.     You  know  some  of  the  scenery  is  laid  here. 

I  have  become  acquainted  with  all  the  people,  and  have  set  up  a 
Saturday  evening  meeting,  which  is  new,  striking,  and  interesting 
to  the  inhabitants.  Yesterday  I  preached  twice.  Thursday  evening 
I  shall  lecture,  and  Saturday  evening  I  shall  hold  another  prayer- 
meeting.  I  feel  a  deep  commiseration  for  the  people,  and  am 
turning  myself  into  a  missionary.  I  also  feel  a  deep  responsibility 
to  do  for  their  spiritual  good  all  I  possibly  can.  There  never  was  a 
Presbyterian  minister  here  for  twenty-four  hours.  I  have  to  rep- 
resent our  church  and  the  Christian  religion.  The  word  of  the 
Lord  is  precious  here  because  there  is  no  open  vision.  They  are 
very  anxious  to  have  me  settle  with  them.  They  offer  me  four 
hundred  dollars,  to  be  promptly  paid,  and  the  use  of  a  house  and 
my  wood  ;  but  I  should  not  feel  justified  in  leaving  Green  River  — 
where  I  have  the  delightful  consciousness  of  being  very  useful  —  to 
go  to  any  other  place.  You  have  no  idea  how  anxious  they  are  to 
have  me  and  my  dear  family  come  on,  and  they  pray  that  you  may 
throw  no  obstacles  in  the  way.  They  think,  from  what  they  have 
heard  of  you,  that  you  would  make  a  very  interesting  addition  to 


A  BLIND  MINISTER.  201 

the  place.     There  is  a  degree  of  earnestness  felt  on  this  subject 
which  amazes  me. 

This  country  is  quite  romantic  in  some  respects.  There  is  much 
noble  game.  Deer  abound  in  the  woods,  and  bears  are  often  killed. 
Two  days  ago,  I  had  a  piece  of  bear's  flesh  sent  in  to  me  as  a 
luxury,  but  it  is  disgusting  to  my  taste. 

I  shall,  with  God's  blessing,  be  at  home  ait  the  time  I  contem- 
plated. Pray  for  me  till  I  come.  I  remember  you  at  the  mercy 
seat  with  earnestness.  Take  care  of  your  health  ;  do  not  work  too 
hard,  and  give  every  anxiety  to  the  wind.  Remember  me  most 
affectionately  to  all  my  congregation.  I  hope  my  arrangements  for 
supplying  the  pulpit  have  been  executed,  and  it  is  a  comfort  to  me 
to  think  that  you  live  *'  fast  by  the  oracle  of  God." 

Farewell.     JNlay  God  bless  and  preserve  you. 

Sincerely  yours, 

T.    WOODBRIDGE. 

The  reading  of  Gertrude  of  Wyoming  on  the  lake 
shore,  above  referred  to,  was  related  by  Mr.  Lester  to 
the  celebrated  Thomas  Campbell,  author  of  the  poem, 
at  his  house  in  London.  Mr.  Campbell  was  deeply 
affected  by  the  circumstances,  and  wept.  "  This,"  said 
he,  "  is  fame.  My  poem  has  been  read  twice  over  by 
you  to  your  blind  uncle,  and  he  praised  it  I  God  bless 
that  uncle  of  yours.  If  I  ever  come  to  America,  I 
will  see  him."  Dr.  Beattie,  in  his  Life  of  Campbell, 
has  a  long  account  of  this  conversation,  which  has 
been  copied  into  the  Edinburgh  Review. 

During  my  ministry  at  Green  River,  I  received  a 
number  of  calls  to  become  the  pastor  of  other  con- 
gregations. Some  of  these  calls  I  stopped  in  their 
incipient  stages ;  others  came  to  me  in  a  formal  and 
pressing  manner.  I  received  two  successive  calls 
from  the  congregation  at  West  Stockbridge  village, 
where  I  was  well  known,  and  where  I  knew  all  the 
people.     These  last  calls  affected  me  more  than  any 


202  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

others  I  received.  They  were  most  importunate,  and 
weighed  heavily  upon  my  judgment  and  heart. 

In  1837,  I  received  a  unanimous  and  urgent  call 
from  that  village,  accompanied  with  a  course  of  argu- 
mentation, setting  forth  the  pressing  nature  of  the 
case.  This  call  I  took  into  very  serious  consideration, 
and  my  mind  was  balancing  over  it  for  a  considerable 
time.  My  deliberations  on  the  subject,  however,  were 
disturbed  by  the  agitations  of  my  congregation,  who 
were  urging  me  not  to  go  away.  I  was  deeply 
affected  by  their  solicitudes.  They  held  a  full  meeting 
of  the  society,  pledged  to  me  their  confidence,  and 
their  determination  that  my  salary  should  be  promptly 
paid  in  all  time  to  come.  They  sent  a  committee  to 
me  with  their  resolutions,  desiring  me  to  decline  the 
call  from  West  Stockbridge  village,  of  which,  from 
the  proximity  of  that  place,  they  had  often  heard. 
They  knew  the  anxiety  of  the  congregation  who  called 
me,  and  the  undecided  state  of  my  mind  in  regard  to 
the  matter. 

After  a  few  weeks  of  consideration,  I  felt  con- 
strained, by  the  sensibilities  of  my  people,  and  by  my 
sense  of  duty,  to  decline  definitively  the  breaking  up 
of  my  existing  ministerial  relations.  This  quieted  the 
public  mind,  and  I  cherished  the  hope  that  there  would 
be  no  more  agitations  of  the  kind.  But,  in  the  spring 
of  1838,  one  year  after,  another  committee  was  sent 
to  me  from  West  Stockbridge  village,  with  a  still  more 
pressing  and  earnest  application  that  I  would  come 
and  be  their  minister.  This  second  call,  also,  was 
accompanied  with  a  document,  prepared  by  the  so- 
ciety, setting  forth  the  urgency  of  their  wants,  and 
appealing  to  my  conscience,  and  almost  every  principle 


A  BLIND  MINISTER.  203 

of  my  nature,  to  change  my  pastoral  relations.     This 
paper  I  will  here  subjoin : 

West  Stockbridge,  Api-il  5,  1838. 
Rev.  Timotiiy  Woodbridge  : 

Dear  Sir,  —  The  undersigned,  a  committee  appointed  by 
the  Congregational  Union  Society,  in  the  village  of  West  Stock- 
bridge,  have  been  instructed,  by  a  unanimous  vote  of  that  society, 
to  renew  to  you  the  invitation,  which  has  once  before  been  given, 
to  become  our  pastor ;  and  we  are  also  authorized  to  propose  terms 
simihir  to  those  which  were  formerly  mentioned.  In  performance 
of  the  duty  which  has  thus  been  assigned  us,  we  feel  that  we  are  tread- 
ing upon  delicate  ground,  and  we  desire  to  state,  very  briefly,  the 
reasons  which  have  induced  us  to  make  this  second  application.  We 
believe  that  any  congregation  has  an  undoubted  right  to  request 
any  clergyman  to  take  upon  himself  the  duties  of  their  spiritual 
teacher,  and  that  such  clergyman  may  accept  the  invitation,  when 
duty  and  inclination  agree,  and  that,  by  so  doing,  he  does  not  in- 
fringe upon  any  right  of  the  society  which  he  may  desire  to  leave. 
We  hold,  therefore,  that,  by  making  this  application,  we  do  no 
wrong  to  the  church  and  society  over  which  you  have  so  long  and 
so  faithfully  presided.  We  go  still  farther.  We  maintain  that,  as 
the  greatest  possible  diffusion  of  the  blessings  of  the  gospel  is  the 
governing  object,  not  only  with  every  faithful  minister  of  Christ, 
but  with  every  sincere  professor  of  his  principles  and  doctrines  ;  so, 
if  we  are  able  to  show  you  a  field  of  action  where  your  peculiar 
talents  can  effect  far  greater  good  than  in  your  present  sphere  — 
where  you  can  extend  more  rapidly  the  Redeemer's  kingdom,  we  then 
fasten  upon  you  an  obligation  to  enter  that  field,  and  upon  your 
church  and  people  to  relinquish  you  cheerfully,  notwitlistanding 
the  strong  ties  by  which  you  are  united. 

If,  by  a  ministry  of  twenty  years  among  your  people,  you  have  not 
only  sown  the  good  seed,  but  have  watched  over  and  cherished  the 
upspringing  plants  until  they  have  arrived  at  maturity,  and  are  pro- 
ducing abundant  fruit ;  if  you  have  hedged  round  your  vineyard 
with  the  strong  checks  and  guards  of  deep-rooted  moral  and  religious 
principle,  we  would  rcwspcctfully  suggest,  whether  you  may  not 
now,  with  propriety,  and  even  with  benefit  to  the  general  prosperity 
of  the  church,  leave  your  present  charge  to   the  protection  of 


204  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

weaker  hands,  and  go  forth  again  into  the  world's  wilderness,  to 
lay  the  foundations  and  to  rear  the  walls  of  some  other  city  of  the 
kingdom?  AYe  claim,  dear  sir,  the  privilege  of  familiar  friends,  and 
therefore  hold  language  to  you  far  different  from  what  we  should 
feel  authorized  to  do  in  the  case  of  a  stranger.  We  desire  you  to 
look  around  upon  the  field  where  you  are  laboring,  and  observe 
whether  the  great  work  of  erecting  and  adorning  your  religious  edi- 
fice is  not  now  over.  We  pray  you  to  recollect,  that  you  are  now  at 
the  maturity  of  your  powers,  and  consider  whether  your  judgment, 
now  ripe,  .your  experience  of  human  character,  and  your  acknow- 
ledged capabilities  for  bringing  light  and  order  out  of  darkness  and 
confusion — whether  these  endowments  are  most  beneficially  employed 
in  merely  preserving  from  decay  what  you  have  already  erected?  or 
whether  you  should  not  leave  this  duty  to  humbler  powers,  while 
you  become  the  architect  of  other  structures,  in  less  favored  com- 
munities ?  It  would  be  superfluous  for  us  to  recite  anew  our  pecu- 
liar situation.  You  know  it  all.  But,  in  addition  to  reasons  and 
facts  formerly  stated,  we  observe,  that  although  sorely  disappointed 
that  you  esteemed  it  a  duty  to  decline  our  invitation,  we  yet  exerted 
ourselves  to  procure  some  other  person.  AYe  succeeded  in  obtaining 
a  most  worthy  man,  who  has  produced,  we  hope,  some  good  impres- 
sion upon  our  people.  Yet,  the  experience  of  the  winter  has  only 
more  firmly  persuaded  us  that  you  alone,  of  all  with  whom  we  are 
acquainted,  can  unite  our  strength,  and  make  profitable  use  of  the 
materials  of  which  this  society  is  composed.  There  is  a  universal, 
an  almost  feverish,  anxiety  to  have  j'ou  labor  among  us.  We  are 
in  the  condition  of  the  sick  man,  who  believes  that  none  but  his 
favorite  physician  can  work  his  cure. 

We  shall  await  your  answer  with  great  anxiety,  and  yet  with 
hope  and  even  confidence. 

Most  respectfully  yours, 

Charles  B.  Boynton, 
Hubbard  Fox, 
Benjamin  Cone, 
Bobbins  Kjellogg, 
D.  B.  Campbell. 

This  call  produced  a  great  sensation,  and  Green 
River  was  shaken  as  with  a  moral  earthquake.  I  had 
frequent  visits  from  West  Stockbridge^to  sustain  their 


A  BLIND   MINISTER.  205 

interests,  and  my  own  society  did  all  they  could  to 
determine  me  to  reject  the  new  call.  For  several  weeks 
I  went  through  a  terrible  wear  and  tear  of  feeling ; 
and,  at  this  juncture,  our  Presbytery  happened  to  meet 
in  Hudson,  and  I  spread  the  whole  case  before  them 
for  advisement.  The  Presbytery  considered  it  a 
grave  and  difficult  question,  and  shrank  from  giving 
me  any  definite  opinion.  After  talking  the  matter 
over  for  some  time,  they  left  the  decision  to  my  own 
judgment. 

I  came  home,  and  made  it  the  subject  of  deep  and 
protracted  meditation,  and  earnest  prayer  to  the  Foun- 
tain of  all  light  for  wisdom.  It  was  the  most  painful 
question  that  had  ever  come  upon  me  for  decision ; 
and,  after  using  all  the  lights  within  my  reach,  I  came 
to  the  conclusion  definitely  to  decline  the  call  from 
West  Stockbridge  village.  It  was  the  most  distressing 
act  of  my  life.  I  have  no  doubt  I  should  have  been 
well  received,  kindly  treated,  and  useful  in  that  place. 
And  it  had  some  adventitious  attractions.  It  was  ro- 
mantic in  its  features  ;  it  was  an  enterprising  and  rap- 
idly growing  place  ;  and  it  was  near  my  native  scenes, 
and  in  the  heart  of  Berkshire,  a  county  to  which  I 
was  attached  by  a  thousand  sweet  memories  and  hal- 
lowed associations.  There,  for  several  generations, 
had  been  the  seats  of  my  ancestors,  and  their  ashes 
reposed  in  those  cemeteries.  But,  in  determining  to 
remain  at  Green  Eiver,  I  thought,  and  still  think,  that 
I  followed  plain  intimations  of  the  will  of  God.  I 
committed  the  result  to  Providence,  trusting  that  my 
ways  had  pleased  the  Lord  in  this  matter. 

During  my  ministry  at  Green  River,  my  labors  were 
18 


206  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

abundant.  I  preached  in  season  and  out  of  season ; 
and  there  is  hardly  a  house  within  many  miles  of  that 
church  in  which  I  have  not  blown  the  trumpet  of  sal- 
vation. I  was  with  them  in  their  scenes  of  joy  and 
sorrow ;  I  solemnized  their  marriages,  and  conducted 
their  funerals.  My  labors  in  my  study  were  diligent 
and  unintermitted.  It  was  my  habit  to  read  a  vast 
deal,  and  write  whenever  I  could  find  good  amanuenses. 
My  family  were  excellent  readers,  and  never  tired  in 
that  exercise,  which  was  so  important  to  me.  The 
young  lady  of  my  family.  Miss  C.  M.,  often  and  skil- 
fully used  the  pen.  It  was  my  habit,  unless  some 
special  pastoral  duty  called  me  out,  to  spend  my  fore- 
noons in  study. 

To  lighten  the  literary  burdens  of  my  family,  whose 
household  cares  were  also  numerous,  I  commonly  kept 
a  young  man  with  me,  who  was  weU-educated  and 
skilful  in  reading  and  writing. 

In  the  preparation  of  my  sermons,  I  sometimes 
selected  my  text  first,  and  grounded  my  sermon  on 
it.  Sometimes  I  preached  what  is  called  a  topical 
sermon,  and  prepared  it  without  a  text,  which  I  se- 
lected afterwards.  But,  ordinarily,  the  main  features 
of  the  sermon  were  suggested  by  the  obvious  aspects 
of  the  text.  I  went  through  a  course  of  lectures, 
greatly,  I  think,  to  the  edification  and  profit  of  the 
congregation,  on  the  Book  of  Acts.  On  these  I  be- 
stowed diligent  labor  and  research. 

I  always  wrote  my  text  and  the  heads  of  the  sermon. 
This  writing  covered  over  from  one  to  two  pages  of 
letter  paper;  but  the  act  of  dictating  stamped  the 
words  so  deeply  on  my  memory  that  I  hardly  ever  had 
occasion  to  read   over  my  skeleton.      When   I  was 


A  BLIND  MINISTER.  207 

pressed  for  time,  and  had  not  a  quick  writer  at  hand, 
it  was  my  custom  to  think  out  my  sermon,  and  in- 
scribe it  on  the  tablet  of  memory,  and  deliver  it  pre- 
cisely as  thus  prepared.  This  method  may  be  easily 
acquired  by  almost  any  man  who  is  in  habits  of  study. 
I  have,  after  nine  o'clock  Saturday  evening,  when  I 
have  been  gone  from  home  through  the  week,  thought 
out  and  reposited  in  my  memory  three  sermons,  which 
I  delivered  the  following  day  and  evening. 

Immediately  after  entering  upon  the  diversified 
labors  of  the  pastoral  office,  I  found  it  was  necessary 
to  form  a  habit  of  rapid  composition,  or  I  should  have 
no  time  for  reading ;  and  I  bestowed  great  discipline 
upon  my  mind  to  acquire  a  facility  in  composing. 
This  talent  was  of  immense  service  to  me  in  enabling 
me  to  preach  such  a  vast  number  of  sermons  as  I  de- 
livered, and  save  out  time  for  reading. 

In  looking  over  a  list  of  my  texts,  I  find  that  no 
nook  or  corner  in  the  field  of  revelation  has  escaped  me. 
Every  prominent  fact,  every  doctrine  and  precept  of 
the  Bible,  I  have  endeavored  to  open  up,  and  pour  out 
the  wealth  they  contained  upon  the  congregations  to 
whom  I  have  ministered. 

Though  I  ministered  to  an  immense  number  of  peo- 
ple, my  income  was  always  slender  and  precarious ; 
and  it  became  a  matter  of  wonder  to  my  friends  how 
I  could  sustain  so  large  a  hospitality  and  such  a  com- 
fortable style  of  living.  This  was  a  matter  of  surprise 
and  mystery  to  my  friends.  Some  of  my  most  inti- 
mate friends  and  brethren  in  the  ministry  sifted  me  on 
this  subject,  and  wanted  to  solve  the  strange  phenom- 
enon that  existed  under  my  roof  Several  ministers 
who  visited  my  house  inquired  into  the  mysteries  of 


208  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF 

our  domestic  economy.  They  had  a  larger  salary 
and  less  company  than  I  had,  and  yet  were  straitened. 
They  were  embarrassed  in  getting  along  in  their 
economical  relations.  In  some  instances,  ministers 
came  to  our  house  with  their  wives,  to  inquire  how  we 
lived,  and  how  we  sustained  so  pleasant,  and  even 
elegant,  a  mode  of  living  upon  such  slender  means. 
This  fact  was  often  called  a  miracle ;  but  the  miracle 
was  explained,  by  reference  to  the  extraordinary 
woman  who  was  the  female  head  of  my  house.  She 
was  a  great  manager,  and  could  make  a  dollar  go 
further  than  any  other  person  I  ever  saw.  I  used  to 
often  tell  her  that  she  took  more  pains  to  save  a  shil- 
ling, and  render  it  productive,  than  a  dollar  was  worth. 

In  some  portions  of  this  work,  I  have  endeavored 
to  portray  some  of  the  characteristics  of  my  rural 
home  —  that  home  which  has  been  my  sweet  and  hal- 
lowed retreat  from  the  toils,  cares,  and  vexations  of 
the  world,  and  which  has  been  enlivened  by  the  smile 
of  God's  benediction  —  over  which  scarcely  a  single 
cloud  has  fallen  through  the  long  period  of  a  lifetime. 
To  render  an  idea  of  this  home  complete,  I  must  de- 
scend to  a  few  minute  circumstances ;  for  such  cir- 
cumstances are  often  bright  or  dark  threads  in  the  web 
of  domestic  life. 

In  speaking  of  minute  things  in  our  domestic  scene, 
I  ought  not  to  omit  the  mention  of  a  little  dog,  of  the 
King  Charles  breed,  whose  black,  glossy  hair,  radiant 
face,  conversational  bark,  and  bushy  tail,  ever  wag- 
ging to  the  music  of  his  glad  heart,  made  him  quite  a 
loved  pet  among  the  family  and  visitors. 

I  have  always  had  faith  in  dogs  of  pure,  unmixed 
races.     The  very  epithet  of  a  cur,  indicating  a  mixture 


A  BLIND   MINISTER.  209 

of  breeds,  carries  an  idea  of  something  so  contempti- 
ble, that,  from  the  early  Anglo-Saxon  writers  down  to 
our  day,  a  mean  and  contemptible  character  is  spoken 
of  as  a  cur.  I  admire  the  taste  of  the  Greeks,  who 
were  the  first  to  make  a  dog  the  companion  of  man. 
This  is  a  bright  feature  in  Grecian  civilization. 

Great  and  good  men,  in  every  age,  have  been  fond 
of  dogs ;  they  have  loved  them  as  companions,  and, 
strange  as  it  may  seem  to  the  unfeeling,  they  have 
honored  them  when  they  died.  Walter  Scott  and  his 
family  declined  a  distinguished  invitation  to  dine  out 
on  a  day  when  a  favorite  dog  happened  to  die,  and 
the  whole  household  went  out  to  his  burial  in  a  ro- 
mantic spot  of  the  garden,  and  were  not  ashamed  to 
shed  tears  over  the  green  spot  that  covered  him. 

Trippy  (for  that  was  the  name  of  our  dog)  was  the 
most  sensitive,  generous,  and  sensible  animal  I  ever 
knew.  He  always  seemed  to  have  a  deep  appreciation 
of  the  dignity  of  our  household,  and  never  deserted 
the  family  mansion,  except  on  very  short  trips,  from 
which  he  speedily  returned.  He  looked  with  some 
coldness,  and  sometimes  suspicion,  upon  strangers  who 
crossed  the  threshold ;  but  he  used  to  watch  our  coun- 
tenances, and,  whenever  he  saw  our  faces  beam  with 
love,  or  confidence,  to  our  guests,  he  at  once  admitted 
them  to  his  bosom.  He  became  attached  to  every 
object  in  the  house  or  on  the  grounds.  No  matter 
how  disagreeable  a  cat  may  have  been  introduced 
into  the  house,  nor  how  antagonistic  the  animal  may 
have  been  to  Trippy,  this  generous  dog  would  lay 
aside  his  antipathies,  and  consent,  out  of  regard  for  our 
domestic  tranquillity,  to  associate  in  a  friendly  manner 
with  the  cat. 

18* 


210  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

I  have  never  known  an  animal  of  any  description  so 
devotedly  attached  to  a  family  as  he  was  to  mine. 

When    little   C L had  been   in    my  family 

about  six  months,  after  the  return  of  his  parents  from 
Italy,  Trippy  had  become  so  attached  to  him  that,  on 
a  visit  of  Charley  to  New  York,  the  dog  would  whine, 
and  hunt  up  his  ball  and  bring  it  to  some  member  of 
the  family,  and  look  up  beseechingly,  to  have  some 
one  play  with  him,  as  Charley  had  done ;  and,  on  more 
than  one  occasion,  when  letters  came  into  the  house, 
he  would  look  up  into  the  face  of  my  wife  as  she 
opened  them,  and,  when  the  name  of  Charley  was  men- 
tioned, he  listened  with  the  most  earnest  attention  to 
the  reading,  in  which  his  name  often  occurred ;  and, 
if  he  did  not  understand  much  English,  he  understood 
that  more  difficult,  and  less  generally  comprehended 
language,  the  generosity  of  the  human  heart.  When 
the  reading  was  over,  he  wanted  the  letter  in  his 
mouth,  and  would  run  under  the  sofa  and  lay  his  head 
upon  it  with  every  demonstration  of  affection. 

When  we  made  an  excursion,  or  journey,  out  of 
town,  Trippy  would  follow  us  up  or  down  the  street, 
as  the  carriage  drove  off;  and,  with  one  friendly  bark, 
which  recognized  our  last  look  towards  him,  he  would 
rush  back  to  the  house,  and  lie  upon  the  steps  of  the 
front  door,  looking  in  the  direction  we  had  taken; 
and,  if  we  were  gone  a  number  of  days,  he  was 
riveted  to  his  position,  looking  with  the  most  intense 
earnestness  for  our  return,  and  was  so  much  absorbed 
in  watching  for  us,  that  it  was  with  difficulty  he  could 
be  got  into  the  house  to  his  dinner. 

Thus  he  watched  till  we  came  in  sight,  when  he 
would  hurry  into  the  house  to  inform  our  mother  that 


A  BLIND   MINISTER.  211 

by  his  gladsome  demonstrations ; 
and,  if  she  seemed  insensible  or  careless  to  these 
intimations,  he  would  seize  her  by  the  dress,  and  drag 
her  to  the  door;  so  iinTvilling  was  he,  in  the  mag- 
nanimity of  his  nature,  to  enjoy  our  return  alone. 
Then,  when  he  had  telegraphed  in  this  manner  the 
joyous  news,  he  would  rush  out  to  meet  us,  and  almost 
expire  in  the  agony  of  his  joy. 

Visitors  at  our  house  were  often  struck  with  the 
wonderful  sagacity  and  feats  at  play  of  this  dog,  and 
have  requested  liberty  to  publish  him  in  the  papers ; 
so  he  became  quite  famous  in  story  and  in  song.  Miss 
Chase,  the  poetess,  was  so  fascinated  with  him  that 
she  wrote  a  eulogy,  which  she  transmitted  to  us,  with 
a  request  that  she  might  publish  it  in  the  periodicals 
to  which  she  contributed.  I  will  here  subjoin  a  few 
stanzas  from  her  eulogy. 

"  'Tis  said  between  the  lip  and  cup  there's  many  a  luckless  slip, 
But,  judging  from  his  sleekness,  but  few  have  come  to  Trip. 

"And  if  you  toss  a  ball  for  him,  he  '11  catch  it  in  his  play, 
Till,  in  pity  for  his  panting,  you  snatch  the  toy  away. 

"  Be  happy,  tiny  creature.     For,  puppy  as  thou  art. 
Not  half  of  human  kind  have  half  so  kind  a  heart. 
0  !  if  I  were  an  artist,  how  gladly  would  I  trace 
A  picture  of  thy  shining  curls,  and  earnest  seeming  face ; 

"A  picture  that  would  speak  of  thee  when  thy  brief  life  is  past ; — 
For  a  little  dog's  existence  is  a  bubble  thing  at  last. 
Well,  track  thy  master's  footsteps,  and  cheer  him  in  thy  play. 
And  when  he  hears  thy  joyous  bark,  'twill  mind  him  of  this  lay." 

It  would,  perhaps,  be  a  sin  against  nature  and  Prov- 
idence not  to   pay  a  tribute  of  consideration  to  the 


212  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

stream  called  Green  River,  with  its  abundant  and 
high-flavored  trout,  which  furnished  for  my  family  and 
friends  a  most  palatable  repast  for  three  or  four 
months  in  the  year.  The  proximity  of  this  stream  to 
my  door  was  an  interesting  and  valuable  circumstance 
in  my  situation.  The  angling  was  excellent  in  that 
part  of  the  brook.  It  is  visited  and  vexed  by  anglers 
from  various  and  distant  parts  of  the  United  States. 
The  fine  flavor  of  the  trout  has  been  celebrated,  near 
by  and  afar  off,  for  a  century.  Travellers  have  put 
up  at  hotels  along  the  stream  for  the  purpose  of 
getting  a  meal  of  those  delicious  fish. 

Friends  who  were  coming  to  see  me  mixed  up  with 
the  prospects  of  their  visit  these  high-flavored  and 
elegant  trout  of  the  mountain  brook.  Sportsmen,  who 
have  visited  the  most  famed  trout  streams  in  this 
country  and  Scotland,  have  often  told  me  that  Green 
River  trout  were  the  finest  in  the  world. 

This  stream,  with  its  speckled  fish,  constituted  an 
attractive  and  romantic  feature  in  my  situation,  and 
drew  around  me  many  men  of  genius,  who  have  often 
been  characterized  by  a  love  of  rural  sports,  and  par- 
ticularly of  angling. 

The  rejection  of  the  numerous  calls  I  had  received 
produced  an  impression  in  the  minds  of  my  congre- 
gation that  nothing  would  be  able  to  separate  me  from 
them.  They  thought  that  I  was  nestled  into  such  a 
sweet  home,  and  was  so  much  attached  to  my  church 
and  society,  that  no  attractions  could  draw  me  away. 
I  found  this  impression  had  taken  full  possession  of 
the  public  mind,  that  nothing  but  death  could  disturb 
my  permanence.  I  found  that  it  was  a  common 
remark,  that  ^'  Mr.  Woodbridge  was  so  happy,  and  so 


A  BLIND  MINISTER.  213 

much  interested  in  his  congregation,  that  he  would 
never  tear  himself  from  them."  I  endeavored  to  un- 
deceive them;  and  I  told  the  trustees,  and  various' 
other  persons,  in  good  faith,  that,  if  they  did  not 
attend  to  their  society  concerns  with  more  energy 
and  application,  I  should  certainly  leave.  I  told  them 
that,  sweet  as  my  home  was,  a  little  effort  could 
create  another  home  that  would  be  sweet  also. 

But  they  were  so  deeply  persuaded  of  my  inclination 
to  stay,  that  they  sadly  neglected  their  society  con- 
cerns, and  fell  into  arrears  to  me  to  such  an  extent, 
that  I  feared  the  society  would  ultimately  be  seriously 
injured.  In  this  state  of  things,  the  congregation  at 
Spencertown,  four  miles  distant,  who  knew  me  well, 
began  to  move  decidedly  towards  giving  me  a  call. 
This  movement  was  heard  of  in  Green  River  through 
a  thousand  channels,  but  they  remained  still  till  the 
call  came.  They  often  alluded  to  it  in  conversation 
with  me,  and  said  that,  if  I  received  such  a  call,  they 
wanted  I  should  wait  before  deciding,  and  give  them 
a  chance  to  pay  up  their  arrears,  and  provide  amply 
for  my  support. 

But  I  had  received  calls  before  this,  and  they  had 
taken  this  very  method  to  induce  me  to  surrender 
them ;  and  I  became  fully  persuaded  that,  in  regard  to 
this  new  call  that  was  approaching  from  Spencertown, 
I  must  be  prompt  and  decided.  I  was  determined 
not  to  expose  myself  again  to  a  painful  agitation  of 
so  delicate  a  subject,  and  to  such  a  waste  of  sen- 
sibility. 

The  committee  from  Spencertown  called  on  me  on 
Saturday  night,  and  placed  the  unanimous  call  of  that 
congregation  in  my  hands.     It  was  a  painful  hour.     It 


214  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

seemed  the  crisis  of  my  being.  I  was  now  to  shoot 
the  gulf.  I  consulted  the  excellent  ladies  of  my 
family,  who  referred  the  matter  entirely  to  my  de- 
cision, and  assured  me  of  their  acquiescence  in  my 
conclusion,  let  it  be  as  it  might.  We  then  joined  the 
committee,  and  I  proposed  a  season  of  prayer  for 
divine  direction.  I  prayed  that  God  would  save  us 
from  any  mistake ;  that  he  would  guide  all  parties  in 
paths  of  peace  and  duty  and  righteousness.  After 
rising  from  our  knees,  I  signified  to  the  committee 
that  I  accepted  the  call  they  extended  to  me,  and 
would  be  with  their  congregation,  to  begin  my  labors, 
in  two  weeks  from  the  following  day. 

I  said  not  a  word  on  the  subject  to  a  human  being 
till  the  next  day,  which  was  the  Sabbath,  when  I 
announced  it  to  a  full  congregation.  This  was  a 
terrible  duty  to  me ;  and  the  shock  was  as  I  ex- 
pected—  terrible  on  the  feehngs  of  the  congregation. 
We  all  of  us  seemed  to  reel,  and  sway  to  and  fro.  I 
doubt  whether  stronger  attachments  ever  subsisted 
between  a  congregation  and  their  minister. 

My  departure  was  a  heavy  blow  to  the  place  I  left, 
and  produced  considerable  exasperation  against  me. 
It  caused  some  decline  in  the  value  of  real  estate,  and 
in  the  consideration  of  the  place  abroad.  But  these 
feelings  of  unkindness  have  been  softened  and  oblit- 
erated by  time ;  and  I  now  take  great  delight  in  vis- 
iting my  old  friends,  and  occasionally  preaching  in 
their  sanctuary,  to  the  erection  of  which  my  subscrip- 
tions and  ejfforts  had  so  largely  contributed.  My 
family  and  I  have  a  thousand  home  associations  con- 
nected with  that  interesting  spot,  and  I  desire  to  set 
my  seal  to  the  truth  of  a  testimony  which  Mr.  L 


A  BLIND  MINISTER.  '      215 

sent  me  from  Italy.  "  The  people  in  Green  River," 
said  he  in  a  letter,  "  are  a  soHd,  sensible  people ;  in- 
deed, I  never  knew  a  more  stable,  straightforward 
community.  You  have  a  deep  hold  upon  their  confi- 
dence and  affections,  and  I  fear  you  may  hereafter  re- 
gret having  torn  yourself  away  from  such  a  congrega- 
tion." 

In  reviewing  my  protracted  ministry  at  Green 
River,  I  find  a  degree  of  comfort  and  satisfaction. 
Though  many  imperfections  were  intermingled  with 
my  ministry,  I  regard  it  as  having  been,  in  a  good 
measure,  an  earnest  and  faithful  career  of  labor ;  and 
it  was,  through  the  blessing  of  the  Great  Head  of  the 
church,  on  the  whole,  I  think,  a  decidedly  and  emi- 
nently successful  ministry.  The  momentous  objects 
of  the  pastoral  ofiice  were  fulfilled  in  the  spiritual  and 
moral  improvement  of  the  people. 

Multitudes  were  gathered  into  the  fold  of  the  Great 
Shepherd,  and  many  who  removed  and  settled  in  other 
parts  of  the  country  have  carried  with  them  impres- 
sions and  principles  received  at  Green  River,  which 
have  made  them  lights  and  blessings  in  the  regions 
where  their  lots  have  been  cast.  Remembering  affec- 
tionately the  good  old  times  at  their  former  home,  and 
the  manner  in  which  things  were  done  there,  they  have 
put  forth  an  active  agency  in  setting  up  similar  insti- 
tutions and  customs  where  they  now  reside.  Their 
places  have  been  made  to  bud  and  blossom  as  the 
rose,  by  influences  which  have  emanated  from  Green 
River ;  and,  I  trust,  the  fruits  of  my  labors  in  that 
place  will  bloom  and  flourish  in  eternity. 

The  account  of  my  long  pastorate  is  before  me ;  I 
shall  go  and  meet  it,  I  humbly  hope,  with  joy  and  not 


216  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

with  grief,  amid  the  splendors  and  revelations  of  the 
judgment-day. 

In  turning  away  from  Grreen  River  to  another  con- 
gregation, the  most  solemn  emotions  took  possession 
of  my  mind.  I  took  a  retrospect  of  my  long  ministry 
in  that  place,  and  my  heart  impelled  me  to  tread  in 
the  steps  of  Samuel,  who  "  set  up  a  stone,  and  called 
the  name  of  it  Ebenezer,  saying.  Hitherto  hath  the 
Lord  helped  us." 

My  ministry  had  been  protracted.  I  had  been  a 
minister  there  twenty-six  years.  For  twenty-four 
years,  I  had  sustained  the  pastoral  relation  to  that 
congregation ;  and,  previously  to  my  pastorate,  I  had 
labored  two  years  as  stated  supply.  My  ministry,  for 
this  long  period,  had  been  delightful,  and,  in  spiritual 
respects,  eventful.  I  had  kept  on,  in  that  sequestered 
place,  "  the  noiseless  tenor  of  my  way,"  and  God  had 
blessed  me,  and  sent  down  the  dews  of  heaven  around 
my  steps. 

I  "  dropped  some  natural  tears  "  at  leaving  such  a 
field  of  labor,  but  hoped  to  "  wipe  them  soon,"  as  I 
went  to  another  vineyard,  with  "Providence  my 
guide."  Since  I  came  away,  I  have  uniformly  looked 
back  upon  my  ministry  at  Green  Eiver  as  a  specially 
bright  and  interesting  period  of  my  life  ;  I  presume 
I  shall  regard  it  with  these  sentiments  through  all  the 
lights  and  shadows  of  my  future  existence  here. 

That  society  has,  since  I  left  it,  been  severely  as- 
sailed by  the  preachers  and  disciples  of  seductive 
and  dangerous  heresies,  and  some  secessions  have 
been  effected.  But  I  have  great  pleasure  in  reflecting 
upon  the  fact,  that  they  have  now  an  excellent  Ortho- 
dox and  independent  minister,  to  stand  like  the  rock 


A    BLIND   MINISTER.  217 

of  Gibraltar  for  the  defence  of  the  society.  That 
minister  is  Rev.  Samuel  Utley,  and  I  take  pleasure  in 
paying  him  this  tribute  of  respect.  His  society  has, 
within  a  few  years,  passed  through  great  vicissitudes ; 
but,  with  the  blessing  of  the  Head  of  the  church,  Mr. 
U.  has  kept  together  a  compact  and  solid  ecclesiastical 
and  social  organization.  May  the  blessing  of  God  rest 
upon  them  all. 

A  few  weeks  before  I  left  Green  lliver,  my  nephew, 
C.  Edwards  Lester,  and  his  family,  spent  a  few  weeks 
at  my  house,  preparatory  to  their  departure  for  Italy. 
Mr.  L.  had  been  appointed  United  States  consul  at 
Genoa,  the  birthplace  of  Columbus.  He  had  always 
been  a  most  affectionate  and  generous  relative,  and 
the  last  Sabbath  he  spent  with  me  was  a  most  affecting 
occasion.  He  delivered  a  touching  address  to  the 
congregation,  and  I  baptized  his  youngest  child,  and 
commended  the  household  to  the  care  and  benediction 
of  God.  During  Mr.  L.'s  absence  in  Italy,  for  six 
years,  we  kept  up  an  active  and  profuse  correspond- 
ence. A  portion  of  this  correspondence  I  design,  in 
the  course  of  my  narrative,  to  spread  before  the 
reader. 

19 


CHAPTER    XY. 

MY  MINISTRY  AT  SPENCERTOWN. 

Description  of  Spencertown.  —  Dr.  Porter.  —  Elisha  Williams.  —  Instal- 
lation. —  Anxious  Labors  and  Consequent  Decline  of  Health.  —  Letter 
to  Mr.  Lester.  —  Musical  Address. 

Spencertown  is  a  prominent  village  near  the  centre 
of  Columbia  county.  It  is  a  broad  valley  begirt  with 
hills,  some  of  whose  eminences  command  fine  views 
of  the  Hudson,  and  the  range  of  Catskill  mountains 
beyond.  These  hills  are  cultivated  to  their  summits, 
and,  together  with  the  valley,  are  exuberant  in  fer- 
tility. The  soil  of  hill  and  valley  is  remarkably 
adapted  to  grain  and  fruits  of  various  kinds. 

The  scenery  is  regarded  by  all  travellers  as  quite 
beautiful,  and  its  various  localities  as  very  fine.  It  is 
an  ancient  place,  and  has  a  history  worth  writing  and 
reading. 

The  pioneers,  who  felled  the  forest  and  introduced 
the  lights  of  civilization  and  Christianity,  were  from 
Connecticut.  They  were  hardy  and  economical  men. 
They  brought  with  them  but  little  property,  and  ad- 
dressed themselves  diligently  to  the  business  of  accu- 
mulation ;  and  their  frugality  is  visible  in  the  habits  of 
their  descendants,  who  still  remain  here,  and  occupy 
the  same  farms  which  their  ancestors  subdued  and 
brought  under  culture. 

There  had  been,  from  the  beginning,  a  succession 

(218) 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OP  A   BLIND   MINISTER.  219 

of  pastors  in  tho  Presbyterian  congregation  to  which 
I  was  called.  Among  them  was  the  distinguished  Dr. 
Porter,  who  sustained  the  pastoral  relation  about  six- 
teen years,  and  left  his  footprints  in  the  scene  of  his 
labors.  He  was  a  man  of  vigorous  intellect,  singular 
largeness  of  heart,  and  eccentricity  of  manners.  He 
had  great  Christian  integrity,  and  liberality  up  to  the 
limit  of  his  means.  He  gave  much  himself  for  benev- 
olent objects,  and  his  contagious  generosity  made 
others  give  with  a  liberality  that  surprised  themselves. 
His  movements  were  exceedingly  awkward,  but  his 
manners,  which  were  founded  on  sentiment,  were 
always  refined,  delicate,  and  respectful.  1  have  been 
with  him  in  his  occasional  visits  to  his  old  congrega- 
tion, and  have  been  delighted  to  see  the  elderly  men 
all  group  about  him  and  follow  him. 

When  he  preached,  although  he  had  not  what  is 
commonly  called  eloquence,  his  strong  sense,  energy, 
and  sensibility  made  more  impression  than  any  other 
minister  could  make  upon  his  former  congregation, 
who  were  softened  by  the  recollections  of  bygone 
days.  He  was  respectful,  even  to  children,  and  he  had 
unrivalled  influence  over  great  men,  who  reverenced 
him  for  his  ability  and  goodness.  I  loved  him  while 
he  lived,  and  I  revere  his  memory  now  he  is  dead. 
His  frequent  visits  at  my  house  were  always  delight- 
ful, and  I  rejoice  that  the  savor  of  his  name  is  sweet 
among  the  churches. 

From  an  early  period  of  its  history,  Spencertown 
has  been  the  residence  of  a  number  of  eminent  law- 
yers, who  instituted  law-schools,  and  trained  up  a 
great  number  of  young  men  for  the  bar,  w^ho  have 
risen  to  the  highest  distinction  in  their  profession,  and 


220  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

filled  eminent  offices  of  the  State  and  General  govern- 
ment. 

Elisha  Williams  was  the  most  conspicuous  of  these 
lawyers.  I  knew  him  well,  and  the  office  in  which  he 
laid  the  foundation  of  his  fame  and  fortune  is  next 
door  to  my  residence.  He  studied  law  with  Judge 
Eeeve,  of  Connecticut,  and  came  to  Spencertown 
when  very  young,  and  began  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession. He  was  remarkable  for  his  brilliant  wit, 
and  was  almost  as  much  distinguished  for  his  fine 
personal  appearance  as  for  his  intellectual  powers. 
His  countenance  was  indescribably  animated  and  ex- 
pressive, and  his  general  aspect  indicated  high  supe- 
riority. He  soon  acquired  a  very  extensive  practice, 
which  was  not  confined  to  Columbia  county,  or  the 
State  —  he  was  frequently  employed  in  important  cases 
in  neighboring  States. 

As  a  jury  lawyer,  the  general  belief  is  that  he  was 
never  surpassed  in  this  country.  His  knowledge  of 
men  gave  him  an  absolute  despotism  over  jurors,  and 
made  him  the  terror  of  witnesses.  Mr.  Williams^ 
efi'orts  at  the  bar,  wherever  he  went,  were  subjects  of 
general  conversation,  and  his  original  and  striking 
thoughts  and  beautiful  images  were  treasured  up  and 
bandied  about  among  the  people ;  and,  wherever  he 
bent  his  steps,  he  was  the  "observed  of  all  observers.'^ 

He  made  a  splendid  effort  in  the  city  of  New  York, 
in  1820,  in  an  action  for  slander,  brought  by  the  Rev. 
Daniel  Parker  vs.  Col.  Swan,  of  Connecticut.  Mr. 
WilHams  was  Mr.  Parker's  counsel.  His  client  had 
belonged  to  an  ecclesiastical  body,  and,  in  consequence 
of  that  slander,  his  connection  with  the  religious  body 
was  dissolved.     I  heard  several  lawyers  in  New  York 


A  BLIND   MINISTER.  221 

describe  Mr.  Williams'  conduct  of  the  case.  It  was 
one  precisely  fitted  to  his  genius.  The  trial  continued 
five  days,  during  the  whole  of  which  the  court-room  was 
thronged  with  an  immense  concourse  of  the  citizens. 
The  high  respectability  of  the  parties,  and  the  fame 
of  the  counsel  employed,  drew  out  many  of  the  pro- 
fessional and  educated  classes. 

Mr.  Williams  seemed  to  control  the  passions  of  the 
audience  as  he  pleased.  At  one  moment  there  was 
hardly  a  dry  eye  in  the  room ;  in  a  few  moments  all 
gave  way  to  bursts  of  laughter,  in  defiance  of  the 
decorums  of  a  court-room,  and  the  most  strenuous 
efibrts  to  preserve  a  gravity  suited  to  the  occasion. 
Presently  there  was  a  change,  and  resentment  for  the 
wrongs  described  by  the  eloquent  orator  was  ex- 
pressed in  almost  every  countenance.  He  won  his 
cause,  and  this  effort  added  much  to  his  fame. 

The  celebrated  Thomas  Addis  Emmet,  the  eloquent 
Irish  advocate,  who  was  present  during  the  trial,  and 
who  had  listened  with  delight  to  Mr.  Williams'  address^ 
to  the  jury,  when  he  concluded,  approached  him  and 
shook  him  cordially  by  the  hand,  and  said,  "  Mr.  Wil- 
liams, you  have  done  yourself  immortal  honor ;  go 
home  and  give  up  your  profession ;  you  have  nothing 
to  win  from  a  further  practice  of  the  law.  The  effort 
you  have  this  day  made  has  never  been  equalled  on 
this  side  of  the  Atlantic.  You  may  now  repose  upon 
your  laurels." 

Such  is  a  description  of  some  of  the  physical  and 
moral  features  of  the  place  which  was  to  be  the  scene 
of  my  future  labors. 

Agreeably  to  my  engagement  to  the  Spencertown 
committee,  I  repaired,  at  the  specified  time,  to  my  new 
19* 


222  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OP 

field  of  responsibility  and  effort.  Here  I  was  received 
with  enthusiasm.  The  church  edifice  was  in  a  fine 
condition;  the  music  was  improved,  and  was  in  its 
palmy  state.  The  congregation  universally  attended, 
and  exhibited  every  mark  of  the  deepest  interest  and 
respect.  A  large  and  magnificent  circular  wreath  of 
flowers,  woven  by  German  artists,  after  the  fashion  of 
their  country,  was  suspended  on  the  wall  over  the 
pulpit,  back  of  the  desk,  and  the  initials  of  my  name, 
wrought  in  durable  flowers,  occupied  the  centre. 

This  period  of  our  history  was  thought  to  be  the 
hey-day  of  the  society's  prosperity. 

I  immediately  called  a  pro-re-nata  meeting  of  the 
presbytery  to  Spencertown,  to  consummate  my  trans- 
lation from  Green  River  to  this  new  charge.  The 
presbytery  assembled,  and  proceeded  to  my  instal- 
lation on  the  6th  of  November,  1842.  The  installation 
sermon  was  preached  by  my  friend,  Dr.  Hopkins, 
President  of  Williams  College,  who,  in  his  reply  to 
my  invitation,  piquantly  remarked,  in  the  words  of  a 
distinguished  Frenchman,  "  Those  who  invite  me  to 
such  occasions,  do  me  honor ;  those  who  do  not  invite 
me,  do  me  kindness." 

I  prosecuted  my  ministry  in  Spencertown  with  un- 
sparing diligence,  and,  through  the  blessing  of  God, 
with  a  good  measure  of  success.  I  gathered  many 
into  the  church ;  some  from  the  world,  and  some  from 
other  churches.  The  sermons  I  preached  were  not 
repetitions  of  old  discourses  ;  but  were,  almost  without 
exception,  composed  on  the  spot.  I  made  some  use 
of  the  old  material ;  but  I  worked  with  the  most 
intense  assiduity  to  impart  the  best  qualities  I  possibly 
could  to  my  discourses.     My  ministry  at  Spencertown 


A   BLIND   MINISTER.  223 

was  sustained  by  more  indefatigable  study  than  ever. 
The  population  under  my  spiritual  care  was  larger 
than  before,  and  my  impulses  to  toil  for  their  good 
were  proportionably  increased.  My  exertions  through 
the  first  winter  were  more  than  my  frame  could  well 
endure.  My  labors  in  the  pulpit,  in  pastoral  visitation, 
and  in  my  Bible  class,  were  strenuous  and  unin- 
termitting. 

Towards  spring,  I  perceived  my  health  was  affected 
by  excessive  exertion;  and,  in  the  depression  of  ill 
health,  I  began  to  entertain  some  doubts  whether  I 
had  done  well  for  myself,  in  exchanging  the  quiet  and 
familiar  labors  of  my  former  charge  for  the  anxieties 
of  my  new  position.  But  I  comforted  my  heart  with 
the  delightful  consciousness  that,  in  that  transaction,  I 
had  acted  uprightly,  considerately,  and  disinterestedly, 
and  without  any  oblique  views  or  selfish  aims. 

The  able  physicians,  whom  I  consulted  in  regard  to 
my  health,  prescribed  as  my  only  remedy  a  diminution 
of  labor,  and  a  suspension  of  anxieties  to  fulfil,  in  the 
most  exemplary  manner,  the  duties  of  my  position, 
which  weighed  upon  me.  I  had  worked  hard  to  raise 
the  character  of  my  preaching,  and  I  studied  every 
book  within  my  reach  upon  the  composition  and 
delivery  of  sermons,  and  was  as  assiduous  for  im- 
provement as  any  youthful  aspirant  for  the  ministry. 
In  regard  to  my  health  I  said  little,  but  toiled  on  in 
the  most  self-sacrificing  manner.  The  genial  influ- 
ences of  spring,  however,  soon  brought  up  my  health 
again,  and  my  ministry  flowed  on  peacefully  and 
prosperously. 

The  tide  of  company  to  which  we  had  always  been 
accustomed,  continued  at  our  house  ;  but  we  were  all 


224  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

diligent,  and,  with  God's  help,  we  sustained  our  diver- 
sified responsibilities.  Amid  these  arduous  exertions, 
the  ladies  of  my  family  were  an  unspeakable  blessing 
to  me.  They  read  and  wrote  for  me  without  stint 
and  without  complaint.  They  re-animated  me  when- 
ever my  resolution  flagged,  and  smoothed  my  path  in 
a  thousand  ways.  They  wiped  the  sweat  from  my 
weary  brow,  and,  when  I  came  home  exhausted  with 
my  efforts,  they  had  something  palatable  for  the 
refection  of  my  body. 

(to   C.    EDWARDS   LESTER,   ESQ.) 

Spencertown,  December  28,  1843. 

^Iy  Dearest  Nephew,  —  "We  were  greatly  rejoiced  at  the  receipt 
of  your  letters.  God,  who  rules  the  winds  and  waves,  conveyed 
you  safely  over  the  Atlantic,  and  down  the  Mediterranean  to  your 
destination.  You  are  now  in  Genoa,  the  birthplace  of  Columbus, 
and  I  am  at  home.  I  am  comforted  to  hear  that  you,  and  your 
dear  wife  and  children,  are  so  delightfully  settled  in  Italy;  sunny 
Italy,  we  have  always  read  about  —  is  it  all  true?  Is  it  sunny,  and 
are  the  skies  as  blue  as  Ave  have  been  taught? 

We  thank  you  from  our  heart  of  hearts  for  the  interesting  Italian 
productions  you  sent  us.  Your  two  large  boxes  of  lemons  and 
oranges  came  to  us  safely.  Very  few  of  them  have  decayed  at  all. 
They  have  an  adventitious  value,  from  the  circumstance  that  you 
and  dear  cousin  Ellen  plucked  them  from  the  trees  in  your  own 
garden  with  your  own  hands.  The  large  quantity  of  maccaroni 
and  vermicelli  which  you  sent,  we  have  scattered  among  our  neigh- 
bors. These  nice  things,  from  a  far  land,  are  matters  of  gratifi- 
cation to  us,  and  of  curiosity  and  pleasure  to  our  friends. 

We  have  changed  our  residence  since  you  left  the  country.  You 
felt  concerned  at  the  possibility  of  my  removing  from  my  old  charge, 
and  was  afraid,  if  I  did  remove,  I  should  not  have  another  home  as 
bright.  But  our  home  here  is  bright,  with  the  blessing  of  God 
upon  our  cheerfulness  and  domestic  virtues.  My  congregation  here 
is  large,  and  my  labors  are  untiring.  Dear  Mrs.  L.  asks  for  minute 
information  in  regard  to  our  domestic  scene.     These  are  inquiries 


A  BLIND  MINISTER.  225 

most  natural  to  a  woman,  and,  after  all^  they  come  home  to  the 
heart  of  every  man  of  sensibility.  Dear  Ellen  wants  a  picture  of 
our  family  scene  in  the. evening,  and  wishes  us  particularly  to  tell 
her  where  we  all  sit,  and  where  Trippy  lies,  and  how  we  are  all 
occupied.  I  will  describe  one  evening,  which  may  be  regarded  as  a 
general  specimen.  We  have  a  bright  fire,  and  the  room  is  well 
lighted.  Grandma  sits  in  the  corner,  sewing  by  a  stand,  with  a 
*'  flaming  minister  of  light  "  upon  it,  that  she  may  see  well.  Next 
to  her  lies  Trippy  on  the  carpet,  half  asleep,  turning  out  his  little 
nigger  eye  occasionally  to  observe  us  all,  and  to  see  what  may 
happen  to  call  him  up  to  display  his  gladness.  Next  him  is  a 
table,  where  the  two  boys  are  studying  Latin.  Dear  C.  M.  sits  by 
it,  reading  to  me  the  last  number  of  the  Edinburgh  Review.  This 
continues  till  nine,  when,  if  there  is  no  company  in,  we  encircle  the 
domestic  altar.  If  there  is  company,  we  join  in  domestic  worship 
as  soon  after  nine  as  they  leave. 

I  need  not  tell  you  any  public  news ;  all  that,  of  a  political, 
religious,  or  literary  kind,  comes  to  you  in  the  newspapers,  which, 
I  dare  say,  you  profusely  and  promptly  receive. 

I  perceive  that  you  have  at  your  house  a  great  deal  of  company. 
Many  of  them,  it  seems,  are  American  travellers  ;  and  men  of 
distinction,  from  all  parts  of  Europe,  begin  to  crowd  your  saloons. 
You  will  represent  your  country  in  your  consular  position,  I  have 
no  doubt,  most  advantageously.  I  know,  from  your  deep  patri- 
otism, you  will  do  all  you  can  to  reflect  honor  upon  yournative 
land  and  the  government  which  sent  you  out. 

I  hope  you  will  give  me  all  the  interesting  incidents  in  regard  to 
Italy  which  come  within  your  ken.  I  want  to  know  your  views  ; 
for  I  know  you  well,  and  through  you  I  can  see  things  myself.  I 
can  look  at  things  through  the  clear  vision  of  a  full-hearted 
American.  Genoa,  I  should  think,  was  the  most  interesting  place 
in  Italy,  except  Rome.  It  is,  I  take  it,  much  more  ancient  than 
the  Eternal  City ;  for,  if  I  have  read  correctly,  it  is  the  centre  of 
the  ancient  Ligurian  republic,  so  often  spoken  of  in  Roman  history. 
Cicero  was  there  when  consul,  and  Julius  Cresar  marched  his 
invincible  cohorts  through  Genoa,  to  embark  them  for  the  conquest 
of  Gaul.  Can  you  identify  the  road  he  took  through  Genoa  to  the 
sea  ?  Perhaps  it  may  be  in  sight  of  your  windows  ;  and  if  so,  your 
prospect  is  full  of  stirring  associations.     I  have  been  reading  a 


226  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

good  deal  of  late  about  Julius  Caesar,  and  I  consider  him  the 
most  extraordinary  figure  upon  the  canvas  of  history.  I  wonder 
that  my  early  reading  of  him  should  have  been  so  imperfect.  1 
wish  some  Boswell  of  antiquity  had  been  at  Cicero's  villa,  when 
Caesar  dined  with  him  in  one  of  his  journeyings  through  Italy,  and 
held  with  him  so  much  literary  and  philosophic  conversation.  The 
record  of  that  conversation  would  be  no  small  intellectual  treat. 

Now,  my  dear  nephew,  I  want  you  to  tell  me  all  you  can  in  the 
limited  compass  of  letters  about  Genoa  and  its  associations.  I  do 
not  need,  I  believe,  much  description  of  its  high  marble  palaces 
and  its  stupendous  churches  ;  they  have  long  been  the  wonder  of 
the  world.  But  I  should  be  very  glad  of  your  views  of  life  in 
Italy.  I  want  it  in  its  difiFerent  phases.  I  will  thank  you  to 
describe  the  occupations  and  the  tastes  of  the  different  classes  of 
the  people.  Let  me  know  how  deeply  they  are  debased  by  their 
superstitions ;  and  I  should  like  to  hear  about  the  priesthood,  and 
the  monasteries,  and  the  convents.  Is  there  any  real  respect  felt 
for  the  papal  power  ?  Or  is  there  not,  behind  the  mask  of  religion, 
a  secret  contempt  for  that  colossal  imposture?  Is  there  any  ex- 
tensive prevalence  of  infidelity  in  Northern  Italy,  as  we  read  in 
speculations  upon  the  subject  ?  We  hear  a  great  deal  about  the  art 
of  living  in  Italy.  People,  I  suppose,  are  not  as  careworn  as  we 
are.  I  should  like  to  know  how  the  middle  and  upper  classes 
distribute  their  time  and  pursuits.  In  this  country,  we  do  not 
understand  the  art  of  living  ;  but  toil  all  the  livelong  day,  and  far 
into  the  night,  to  scrape  together  pelf.  But,  I  take  it,  the  people  in 
Italy  spend  the  latter  part  of  the  day  and  evening  in  domestic 
enjoyment  with  their  families,  or  in  attending  the  opera. 

Tell  me  a  word  of  Italian  music,  with  which,  I  suppose,  your 
atmosphere  is  filled.  I  should  be  glad  to  know  something  about 
the  bearing  of  the  government  upon  the  condition  of  the  people. 
It  must  come  upon  them  with  a  severe  pressure.  I  shall  write  you 
very  often,  and  very  minutely;  and,  if  anything  interesting  shall 
occur  within  our  own  sphere,  1  shall  send  it  to  you  by  the  first 
steamer  for  Europe. 

Pray  tell  me  a  little  of  any  plans  of  travel  you  may  have  pro- 
jected—  of  your  personal  occupations,  and  particularly  of  your 
studies.    I  perceive  you  are  reading  over  extensively  the  Latin 


A  BLIND  MINISTER.  227 

classics.  It  must  bo  delightful  to  read  them  in  the  land  where  they 
were  produced. 

My  family  are  all  blessed  with  health,  and  all  remember  you  with 
the  deepest  affection.  We  often  carry  you  in  our  hearts  to  the 
mercy  scat,  and  do  not  forget  to  pray  that  we  may  meet  often  here, 
and  reciprocate  our  mutual  love.  Remember  us  most  affectionately 
to  your  dear  wife  and  children.  I  am  rejoiced  to  hear  that  0.  is 
well.  He  is  very  dear  to  me,  not  only  on  account  of  his  winning 
ways,  but  on  account  of  my  having  consecrated  him  to  God  in 
baptism  before  his  departure. 

Farewell,  dear  friends  ;  and  may  God  bless  and  preserve  you,  and 
make  you  ornaments  to  the  country,  and  blessings  to  very  many 
who  will  be  brought  in  contact  with  you  through  your  consulate. 
Sincerely  and  affectionately,  your  uncle, 

T.    WOODBRIDGE. 

In  March,  1843,1  went  to  Egremont,  Mass.,  to  attend 
a  musical  concert,  and  give  the  address  customary  on 
such  an  occasion.  There  had  been  a  school  in  sacred 
music  sustained  there  for  a  long  time  with  enthu- 
siasm ;  and  there  was  a  concentration  of  talent  in  that 
town,  which  seemed  to  be  the  favorite  haunt  of  the 
muses.  The  following  is  an  outline  of  my  address, 
which  will  exhibit  my  views  on  an  interesting  subject, 
lying  a  little  out  of  my  profession : 

Ladies  and  Gentlemen,  —  When  we  contemplate  the  moral  ele- 
ments which  make  up  the  nature  of  man,  we  are  affected  with  a 
variety  of  emotions.  Some  aspects  of  man's  nature  make  us  wonder, 
and  some  make  us  weep.  When  we  look  at  the  moral  part  of  his 
nature,  we  cannot  fail  to  perceive  that  his  powers  have  experienced 
a  tremendous  shock.  A  dreadful  prostration  has  come  over  his  moral 
susceptibilities.  But  there  are  in  the  nature  of  man  some  faculties 
which  have  remained  unscathed  by  the  desolations  of  the  fall.  Even 
since  the  fall,  "  man  is  a  being  of  large  discourse,  looking  before  and 
after."  His  reason  is  not  directly  affected  by  his  alienation  from 
God.  He  can  lift  the  curtain  which  conceals  the  laws  by  which 
God  governs  the  universe,  and  interpret  those  laws  with  an  eye  of 
intelligence.      Imagination  and  taste,  with  all  their  wonderful 


228  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

powers,  still  remain  to  us  amid  our  moral  ruin.     Without  imagina- 
tion, man  would  dwell  in  an  unlighted  sepulchre,  with  no  power 
of  communing  with  the  distant  or  the  grand      The  Father  of  lights 
has  poured  forth  upon  us  a  rich  profusion  of  gifts.     Without  im- 
agination, we  might  have  accomplished  some  of  the  purposes  of  our 
being,  but  existence  would  have  been  a  dull,  cheerless  thing;  but 
God  has  brightened  our  existence  by  the  gift  of  imagination,  and 
thus  made  all  nature  beauty  to  the  eye  and  music  to  the  ear.     Man, 
in  his  fallen  condition,  resembles  a  Grecian  temple  in  a  state  of  dilap- 
idation—  the  finest  parts  of  the  structure  are  in  ruin,  but  a  noble 
column  and  architrave  here  and  there  remain  to  tell  of  the  grandeur 
of  the  original  edifice.     Among  the  fine  powers  which  enter  into 
the  constitution  of  man,  the  gift  of  music  takes  a  dignified  rank. 
In  surveying  our  nature,  we  are  filled  with  wonder  and  gratitude 
at  the  bounty  of  God  in  conferring  upon  us  so  many  avenues  by 
which  enjoyment  can  reach  the  heart.     Music  is  a  talent  of  wide 
usefulness,  as  well  as  an  inlet  of  great  pleasure.     Some  capacity 
for  music  is  as  universal  as  man.     There  is  a  string  in  the  bottom 
of  the  human  heart  which  vibrates  at  the  concord  of  sweet  sounds. 
This  talent  for  music  is  innate.     We  may  not  be  able  to  understand 
the  words  of  another  nation,  but  we  can  understand  their  music. 
If  their  notes  are  pensive,  they  awaken  in  us  images  of  sadness ;  if 
they  are  rapid  and  joyous,  they  produce  emotions  of  pleasure.    There 
is  no  nation  which  has  not  been  addicted  to  the  song.     You  will  find 
music  among  the  red  men  of  the  Western  forest,  in  the  rude  tent  of 
the  Arab,  and  in  the  saloons  of  the  polished  capitals  of  Europe. 
There  is  no  nation,  barbarous  or  civilized,  dwelling  upon  the  earth, 
but  that  has  a  word  which  is  synonymous  with  music.     One  of  the 
most  remarkable  qualities  of  music  is  its  exceeding  pliancy.     It  is 
adapted  to  all  the  varying  conditions  of  man.     It  falls  in  with  all 
the  shifting  fortunes  of  communities,  with  all  the  vicissitudes  of 
families,  and  with  all  the  changeful  humors  of  individuals.     Music 
is  a  grand  element  of  civilization,  and  contributes  its  full  share 
towards  the  formation  of  national  character.     Arcadia,  even  ro- 
mantic, beautiful,  innocent  Arcadia,  the  land  of  bowers  and  roses, 
was  once  rude  and  barbarous.     The  Arcadians,  as  history  informs 
us,  sent  a  delegation  to  the  philosophers  of  Athens,  for  instruction 
in  regard  to  the  best  method  of  banishing  rudeness  and  barbarism 
from  their  people.      The  philosophers  advised  them  to  return  to 


A   BLIND   MINISTER.  229 

their  country  and  institute  schools  of  music.  "  Teach  your  people," 
said  tlicy,  "  to  cultivate  the  divine  art  of  music  in  all  its  forms,  for 
music  will  elevate  the  taste  and  refine  the  manners  of  your  people." 
It  stimulates  courage,  and  nerves  the  arm  of  the  defender 
of  his  country.  We  have  touching  accounts,  in  Grecian  story,  of 
deeds  of  valor  performed  under  the  influence  of  music.  The  Greek 
soldiers  were  excited  to  rage,  in  the  death-strife  of  the  battle-field, 
by  the  national  airs  of  their  great  musicians.  It  invigorates 
the  sinews  of  labor.  Many  a  brave  boatman,  who  has  tugged  at 
the  oar  and  sighed  upon  the  breeze,  has  been  fired  to  unwonted  exer- 
tion by  Moore's  beautiful  Canadian  boat-song  : 

*'Ro"w,  brothers,  row,  the  stream  runs  fast, 
The  rapids  are  near,  and  the  daylight 's  past." 

The  labors  of  our  patient  and  industrious  households,  in  their 
pursuit  of  domestic  thrift,  are  lightened  by  the  voice  of  song. 

"Verse  sweetens  toil,  however  rude  the  sound  ; 
All  at  her  work,  the  village  maiden  sings. 
Nor  while  she  turns  the  giddy  wheel  around, 
Revolves  the  sad  vicissitudes  of  things." 

In  this  vale  of  tears,  a  stream  of  gladness  sometimes  brightens  our 
path.  Here  music  lends  its  eJBficient  aid.  It  refines,  elevates,  and 
brightens  our  joys.  "  Is  any  man  merry,"  says  the  apostle,  "  let 
him  sing  psalms."  On  every  occasion  of  rejoicing,  music  greatly 
heightens  our  happiness.  When  a  nation  is  delivered  from  oppres- 
sion, she  is  irresistibly  impelled  to 

*' Sound  the  loud  timbrel  o'er  Egypt's  dark  sea, 
Jehovah  has  triumphed,  his  people  are  free." 

When  prosperity  flings  its  lights  around  a  family,  if  they  have  the 
common  sensibilities  of  our  nature,  their  feeling  is, 

•'  Then  let  our  songs  abound, 
And  every  tear  be  dry." 

This  pliant  element  of  music  befriends  us  under  the  shadows  as 
well  as  the  lights  of  existence.     It  soothes  the  troubled  spirit,  it 

20 


230  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

supplies  balm  to  the  wounded  bosom.  Hence  musie  has  been  mixed 
up  with  the  funeral  rites  of  all  nations.  The  pensive  notes  of  the 
elegy  come  over  the  dejected  spirit  like  the  soft  wind  of  the  South  ; 
like  the  music  of  Caryl,  they  are  pleasing  and  mournful  to  the  soul. 

Scenes  of  turbulence  and  strife  are  often  stilled  by  the  voice  of 
music,  which  bears  some  distant  resemblance  to  the  voice  of  that 
great  Being  who  bestowed  on  us  this  gift,  when  he  said  to  the 
troubled  sea  of  Tiberias,  "  peace,  be  still."  So  music  utters  her 
mandatory  voice  over  the  waves  of  human  passion,  and  they  are 
still.  In  the  Synod  of  Cincinnati,  on  an  occasion  of  high  excite- 
ment, which  enlisted  strong  partisan  feelings  among  good  men,  the 
Moderator  stopped  the  excited  disputants  by  giving  out  a  touching 
and  noble  hymn,  accompanied  by  an  appropriate  and  subduing  tune, 
in  which  all  parties  joined.  The  effect  was  magical.  The  contro- 
versy lost  its  spell,  and  the  kindly  and  charitable  feeling  of  a  better 
world  pervaded  the  assembly. 

But  the  grand  recommendation  of  music  is  yet  to  be  mentioned. 
God  has  taken  up  this  element  of  influence  and  consecrated  it  to 
his  service.  The  application  of  music  to  religion  is  immensely  its 
noblest  use.  It  is  an  appointed  part  of  religious  worship,  and  in 
this  relation  it  becomes  sacred  in  our  esteem.  Jehovah  has  greatly 
honored  music  by  employing  it  in  his  immediate  service,  and  he  has 
vouchsafed  to  this  department  of  worship  signal  tokens  of  his 
favor.  No  place  is  too  holy  for  its  celestial  strains.  When  the 
magnificent  temple  of  Solomoh  was  dedicated,  while  the  singers  were 
hymning  the  praises  or  Jehovah,  a  cloud  of  glory  filled  the  courts 
of  that  august  edifice.  When  the  New  Testament  church  came 
forth  in  its  simple  beauty,  fresh  from  the  hands  of  the  apostles, 
sacred  music  still  lingered  around  God's  altars,  and  became  a  di- 
vinely constituted  part  of  public  worship  under  this  last  and  perfect 
dispensation. 

Sacred  music  brings  the  mind  into  an  attitude  to  receive  advan- 
tageously the  truths  proclaimed  by  the  eternal  gospel.  It  deepens 
every  religious  impression,  and  overawes  the  mind  with  a  sense  of  a 
present  God.  The  ancient  Greeks  declare,  that,  when  they  sung 
hymns  at  the  festivals  of  their  gods,  a  solemn  awe  took  possession 
of  their  minds,  as  though  the  gods  themselves  were  present ;  and, 
when  we  sing  with  the  spirit  and  the  understanding  the  praises  of 
the  living  Jehovah,  shall  we  not  be  deeply  impressed  with  the  pres- 


A  BLIND   MINISTER.  231 

ence  of  the  God  of  Israel,  who  pervades  every  vrorshipping  assembly 
•with  an  infinite  energy  of  being?  The  Infidel,  Bolingbroke,  re- 
marked, that  he  could  not  help  feeling  himself  a  sinner  when  he 
heard  the  music  of  assemblies  of  Christians. 

Since  music  has  received  so  sacred  an  application,  and  is  capable 
of  such  momentous  results,  it  becomes  a  matter  of  vast  consequence 
that  it  be  cultivated  with  appropriate  ardor  and  skill.  No  small 
part  of  the  effect  of  our  religious  meetings  depends  upon  the  manner 
in  which  this  department  of  worship  is  conducted.  iNIusical  talent 
should  be  encouraged  by  all  our  congregations.  Devotional  and 
heartfelt  sino-ino;  should  be  made  a  matter  of  earnest  inculcation 
and  fervent  prayer.  Singing  the  high  praises  of  God  should  not 
be  regarded  as  an  interlude  in  the  services,  during  which  pulpit 
messages  may  be  given  out,  contribution-boxes  circulated,  and  the 
fires  replenished  by  the  sexton  ;  but  the  whole  congregation  should 
be  devoutly  attentive,  that,  with  God's  blessing,  they  may  warm 
their  hearts  around  the  altar  of  praise,  and  then  the  songs  of  Zion 
may  be  expected  to  ascend  to  heaven  like  a  rich  cloud  of  incense. 

May  the  blessing  of  Almighty  God  rest  upon  this  accomplished 
choir  of  singers  ;  may  the  touching  and  noble  sentiments  which  you 
send  forth  upon  the  wings  of  song  be  impressed  upon  your  hearts 
by  the  silent  energies  of  God's  good  Spirit,  and  may  you  be  thus 
prepared  to  offer  up  in  heaven  notes  of  praise  to  redeeming  love, 
which  shall  detain  the  wondering  ear  of  an  angel.  For  this  con- 
summation we  earnestly  and  devoutly  pray. 

Amen  and  amen 


CHAPTER    XYI. 

MY  MINISTRY  AT  SPENCERTOWN. 

My  marriage.  —  Letter  on  the  occasion  from  Professor  Kellogg.  —  Acad- 
emy.—  Notice  of  B.  Ambler. — Dedication  of  Academy.  —  Zadoc 
Pratt.  —  The  Chase  Family.  —  Letters  from  Mr.  and  Miss  Chase. 

In  July,  1845, 1  was  married  to  the  young  lady  of 
whom  I  have  spoken,  who  had  been  an  inmate  of  my 
house  from  the  beginning  of  our  domestic  establish- 
ment, and  was  a  constituent  member  of  the  family.  I 
had  educated  her  in  my  own  way  and  to  my  own 
taste.  She  had  great  energy  and  tact  in  regard  to 
business  and  letters.  She  knew  me  well,  for  she 
had  long  resided  in  my  house,  and  was  perfectly  ac- 
quainted with  all  my  habits  and  tastes  and  wants.  My 
situation  was  peculiar,  and  I  wanted  a  wife  of  peculiar 
aptitudes  for  that  situation.  She  had  had  a  long  ex- 
perience in  a  minister's  family,  and  knew  the  delicacy 
of  the  position,  and  was  wonderfully  adapted  to  the 
situation  of  my  wife.  Interest  and  affection  were 
felicitously  blended  in  this  marriage.  It  was  the  most 
auspicious  event  of  my  life,  and  threw  many  golden 
threads  into  the  web  of  my  existence. 

The  ceremony  was  performed  in  church  on  Sunday 
evening;  and  I  am  grateful  to  my  congregation  for 
the  delicate  demonstrations  of  respect  and  considera- 
tion which  were  rendered  on  the  occasion.  The 
church  was  beautifully  illuminated  ;  the  music  was  of 

(232) 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   A  BLIND   MINISTER.  233 

the  finest  character,  and  the  audience  was  immense. 
Our  large  church  was  densely  crowded  by  the  people 
of  this  place,  and  even  of  distant  towns.  May  the 
smile  of  God's  omnipotent  Providence  long  rest  on 
this  happy  union. 

Scores  of  congratulatory  letters  came  in  upon  us, 
and  I  will  insert  one  from  my  friend,  Professor  Kel- 
logg, not  on  account  of  its  special  enthusiasm  or  ele- 
gance, but  because  I  want  to  say  a  word  about  the 
man. 

While  I  was  at  Andover,  my  brother,  who  was  one 
of  the  trustees  of  Williams  College,  wrote  to  me  to 
select  and  name  to  him  a  man  who  was  well  qualified 
to  fill  the  situation  of  professor  of  Greek  literature 
at  the  college.  I  immediately  fixed  my  choice  upon 
Mr.  Kellogg  as  better  qualified  for  that  position  than 
any  other  man  in  the  seminary.  I  consulted  Professor 
Stuart  on  the  subject,  who  fully  coincided  with  me, 
and  thought  Mr.  Kellogg  the  most  eligible  candidate 
for  such  a  professorship  whom  he  knew.  My  brother 
immediately  requested  me  to  engage  Mr.  Kellogg  to 
visit  him,  and  survey  the  college.  He  accompanied 
me,  at  the  end  of  the  session,  to  our  house,  and  my 
brother  showed  him  the  college,  and  introduced  him 
to  several  of  the  trustees. 

All  parties  were  satisfied  and  gratified ;  and,  at  the 
next  meeting  of  the  board  of  trustees,  Mr.  Kellogg 
was  elected.  He  repaired  to  the  college,  and  became 
an  eminently  useful  professor.  I  hardly  know  any 
man  of  so  much  merit  who  has  been  so  little  known 
and  blown  abroad  by  the  trumpet  of  fame.  He  was  a 
modest  man,  but  was  a  mature  scholar  and  elegant 
writer.     He  would  have  been  very  widely  known  if 


234  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

he  had  been  blessed  with  health ;  but  the  feebleness 
of  his  health  prostrated  the  energy  of  his  voice,  and 
prevented  his  making  that  impression  on  the  public 
which  he  could  easily  have  done  with  better  health. 
Mr.  Kellogg's  letter  here  follows : 

Williams  College,  August  30,  1845. 

Rev.  Timothy  Woodbridge,  —  It  is  now  getting  to  be  a  long 
time,  my  dear  friend,  since  we  have  met,  or  even  exchanged  a  let- 
ter ;  why,  it  would  be  hard  to  say.  The  cause,  however,  of  such  a 
phenomenon  might  be  made  a  topic  of  inquiry,  and  admits  of  an 
explanation  on  which  either  of  us  might  have  dwelt  in  those  old 
times  when  we  loved  to  reason  out  everything — especially  the 
phases  of  human  character.  You  see,  in  this  last  sentence,  one 
mark  of  a  change  of  dates  ;  for,  thirty  years  ago,  neither  of  us 
would  have  been  apt  to  use  the  word  phase  in  this  manner  ;  or,  had 
we  have  done  it,  we  should  have  given  it  a  peculiarity  of  utterance, 
as  if,  in  doing  so,  we  were  before  the  age.  But  these  are  small  mat- 
ters, and  quite  extempore. 

That  which  moved  me  to  take  up  my  pen  is  the  late  appearance 
of  your  name  in  the  public  prints  in  a  new  connection.  I  cannot, 
on  the  occasion,  be  so  negligent  of  the  duty  of  an  old  friend  as  not 
to  tender  my  congratulations  on  the  event.  If  my  wishes  are  fulfilled, 
all  your  anticipations  of  benefit  and  happiness  in  this  new  relation 
will  be  realized.  You  have  acted  wisely  in  securing  to  yourself  per- 
manently the  affectionate  attentions  of  a  virtuous  and  enlightened 
woman.  The  lapse  of  time  has  removed  many,  not  to  say  most,  of 
your  early  friends,  or  circumstances  have  placed  them  at  a  distance ; 
and  you  must  have  felt  the  want  of  an  object  on  which  your  best  hu- 
man affections  might  properly  rest,  and  I  am  glad  you  have  taken 
this  step.  I  hear,  through  a  thousand  reliable  channels,  that  the 
lady  you  have  married  is  very  popular,  is  greatly  loved  and  re- 
spected, and  occupies  a  high  social  position. 

Let  me  hear  from  you  at  the  close  of  the  honeymoon  ;  and  tell 
me  a  little  about  yourself  for  the  last  twelve  or  fifteen  years.  If 
you  ask  for  payment  in  advance,  I  would  say  of  myself,  that  the 
infirmities  of  which  I  used  to  complain,  before  our  acquaintance  was 
suspended,  have  grown  upon  me,  especially  for  the  last  few  years, 
till  my  strength  and  vital  powers  seem  almost  spent. 
20* 


A  BLIND   MINISTER.  235 

It  was  owing  to  your  favorable  regards,  as  I  have  always  sup- 
posed, that  I  was  placed  here  in  1815.  The  history  of  the  college 
these  thirty  years  has  been  eventful,  I  have  felt  a  growing  interest 
in  its  success,  and  labored  with  increasing  devotion  for  its  effi- 
ciency and  usefulness.  These  labors  were  relaxed  only  as  health 
dii^allowed  them.  My  health  continues  to  decline,  though  my  life 
has  been  preserved  beyond  my  expectation.  I  wait  the  issue,  with 
humble  reverence  of  the  divine  will,  and  hope  in  divine  mercy. 

T  am,  with  very  respectful  and  affectionate  remembrance, 

Yours,  E.  Kellogg. 

After  I  had  been  two  or  three  years  in  Spencertown, 
T  addressed  myself  to  the  enterprise  of  setting  up  a 
literary  institution  upon  a  broad  and  respectable 
scale.  After  consultation  with  others,  I  called  a  meet- 
ing, to  consider  the  expediency  of  erecting  an  academy. 
We  held  a  long  succession  of  meetings,  and  finally 
applied  to  the  Legislature  for  an  incorporation.  But 
it  was  necessary  to  obtain  from  our  people  the  funds, 
and  in  this  matter  of  funds,  we  found  serious  obstacles 
in  the  way.  A  few  men  subscribed  generously ;  but 
we  wanted  three  or  four  thousand  dollars ;  and,  after 
repeated  efforts  and  failures,  a  special  friend  of  mine, 

Mr.  B A ,  took  up  the  business  of  raising  the 

money.  He  is  a  remarkable  man,  and  I  hope  will 
excuse  me  for  speaking  of  him  plainly,  as  I  do  here. 
He  was  not  only  generous  himself,  even  to  a  fault, 
but  he  had  the  power  of  strangely  infecting  others 
with  generosity.  The  Father  of  Hghts  endowed  him 
with  largeness  of  soul ;  and  this  quality  in  him  seems 
to  be  contagious,  and  gives  him  influence  over  others. 
He  took  our  subscription  book,  and  went  through  this 
place,  getting  generous  subscriptions  almost  every- 
where. To  the  amazement  of  everybody,  in  a  few 
days  he  raised  all  the  money  that  was  wanted,  and  we 


236  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

immediately  made  a  contract  with  him  to  erect  our 
academic  edifice.  He  built  a  noble  structure  with 
his  accustomed  fidelity  and  good  taste. 

Mr.  A.  is  a  mason  by  trade,  and  a  distinguished 
housebuilder ;  but  he  has  a  great  soul,  which  would 
qualify  him  to  build  a  nobler  edifice  than  a  fine  house. 
He  has  mind  enough  to  build  the  moral  structure  of  a 
State,  and  whoever,  in  coming  time  —  and  may  that 
time  be  far  off —  shall  pass  around  his  grave,  may  say, 
in  the  language  of  Grray,  without  any  peradventure : 

"Perhaps,  in  this  neglected  spot,  is  laid 

A  heart  once  pregnant  with  celestial  fire, 
Hands  that  the  rod  of  empire  might  have  swayed, 
Or  waked  to  ecstasy  the  living  lyre." 

The  dedication  of  our  academy  was  an  interesting 
afiair.  As  the  edifice  waxed  towards  its  completion,  I 
proposed  to  the  trustees  to  invite  the  Hon.  Zadoc 
Pratt  to  give  the  dedicatory  address.  It  would  seem, 
perhaps,  an  incongruity  to  call  a  mechanic,  who  had 
received  no  literary  or  scientific  education,  to  deliver 
the  address  at  the  opening  of  a  literary  institution. 
But  I  deemed  it  a  highly  proper  measure  in  such  a 
country  as  ours,  where  men  rise  to  the  highest  posi- 
tions from  the  obscurest  walks  of  life. 

Mr.  Pratt  is  a  great  man  in  his  sphere,  and  that  is 
one  of  great  respectability.  He  is  a  selfmade  man. 
He  went,  in  early  life,  among  the  hemlocks  of  the 
Catskill  mountains,  and  set  up  a  tannery.  He  has 
pursued  with  immense  enterprise  and  diligence  the 
business  of  tanning ;  and  has  acquired,  by  honest  in- 
dustry in  that  vocation,  a  vast  fortune.  All  along  he 
has  remembered  to  cultivate  his  mind,  and  is  a  man 


A  BLIND   MINISTER.  237 

of  capacity  and  general  information.  He  is  a  gener- 
ous friend  of  all  the  valuable  interests  of  society,  and 
has  sustained  with  a  strong  hand  our  literary  and 
benevolent  institutions.  Ho  has  also,  by  his  good 
sense  and  virtues,  acquired  a  measure  of  political  con- 
sideration, and  has  been  our  representative  in  Con- 
gress. We  do  more  good  to  our  country  by  honoring 
such  meritorious  and  useful  citizens  than  by  placing 
laurels  on  the  brows  of  military  chieftains. 

We  gave  our  orator  a  large  audience  at  the  dedica- 
tion, and  he  gave  us  a  sensible  and  well-written  ad- 
dress, a  good  deal  in  the  style  of  our  great  Franklin. 
The  address  was  rendered  piquant  and  spicy  by  fre- 
quent allusions  to  the  different  departments  of  his  own 
trade,  and  by  images  well  borrowed  from  the  busi- 
ness of  tanning.  Before  leaving  us,  he  made  a  gen- 
erous donation  to  our  library,  and  we  were  grateful 
and  gratified  by  his  visit. 

Our  academy  has  been  a  flourishing  and  useful  in- 
stitution, and  has  imparted  a  good  and  somewhat  lib- 
eral education  to  numerous  youths  of  both  sexes,  who 
would  otherwise  have  been  deprived  of  that  blessing. 
It  is  hardly  possible  to  estimate  the  beneficial  influence 
of  such  an  institution.  The  development  and  culture 
of  a  single  mind  has,  in  some  cases,  shot  an  influence 
around  the  globe. 

I  have  been  in  the  habit  of  frequently  visiting  our 
academy;  have  attended  all  its  examinations  and 
exhibitions;  and  have  often  addressed  the  scholars, 
and  given  them  the  best  maxims,  to  aid  them  in  their 
preparation  for  future  life,  I  could  gather  from  reflec- 
tion and  reading.  One  earnest  aim  has  been  to  incul- 
cate upon  them  the  power  and  habit  of  attention ;  to 


238  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

train  them  to  the  undivided  application  of  their  facul- 
ties to  the  subject  before  them ;  and  to  teach  them  to 
think,  read,  and  write,  without  the  disturbance  of  stray 
thoughts. 

In  1846,  the  citizens  of  Spencertown,  desirous  of 
appropriately  celebrating  our  National  Independence, 
made  timely  arrangements  to  accomplish  their  object. 
In  addition  to  the  usual  exercises  of  such  an  occasion, 
the  ladies  proposed  to  give  a  pubHc  dinner  in  the 
open  air ;  and  a  local  as  well  as  national  character  was 
imparted  to  the  festival.  Cards  of  invitation  were 
sent  to  the  natives  of  Spencertown,  who  resided 
abroad,  to  return  again  to  their  early  scenes,  and, 
while  celebrating  national  glories,  to  exchange  con- 
gratulations at  the  home  of  their  childhood.  Some  of 
our  sons,  who  had  won  reputation  and  fortune  at  a 
distance,  bent  their  steps  from  their  eminences  of  fame 
reverently  to  return  to  their  native  scenes,  and  mingle 
with  their  early  friends,  and  drink  pure  water  from  the 
"  old  oaken  bucket."  After  the  exercises  at  the 
church,  the  assembly  moved  in  procession,  accompanied 
by  national  flags  and  a  band  of  music,  to  a  beautiful 
grove,  where  an  elegant  repast  had  been  prepared  by 
the  ladies.  The  first  flag  was  borne  by  a  veteran  of 
the  Revolution,  who  carried  arms  at  the  capture  of 
Burgoyne,  and  was  engaged  in  many  other  battles 
of  the  war  of  Independence.  The  sight  of  this  vener- 
able old  soldier,  and  the  enthusiasm  with  which  he 
entered  into  the  celebration,  was  afiecting,  and  added 
greatly  to  the  interest  of  the  day. 

Extensive  circular  tables  were  arranged  under  the 
shadow  of  venerable  trees,  near  the  bank  of  Myrtle 
creek,  and,  directly  back  of  the  president's  seat  arose 


A   BLIND   MINISTER.  239 

a  beautiful  mountain,  which,  with  the  rich  foliage  of  its 
dense  forest,  formed  an  elegant  background  to  the 
picture ;  while,  in  front,  were  seen  the  village  spire, 
private  residences,  flower-gardens,  verdant  fields,  and, 
near  by,  the  bower  and  tents  of  the  pic-nic  party. 

The  last  regular  sentiment  was  as  follows :  "  The 
Protestant  religion :  our  fathers  loved  it,  our  mothers 
cherished  it ;  may  their  sons  and  daughters  ever  regard 
it  as  the  corner-stone  of  American  liberty." 

The  president  of  the  day,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Woodbridge, 
being  called  upon,  made  the  following  remarks : 

Ladies  and  Gentlemen,  —  The  broad  disc  of  the  sun  almost 
touches  our  western  mountains,  and  admonishes  me  to  let  my  words 
be  few.  You  have  passed  a  most  exciting  day ;  you  have  been 
borne  along  upon  the  waves  of  music  and  eloquence,  till  your 
minds  are  flurried  with  rapture  and  jaded  with  fatigue ;  and,  in 
this  frame  of  spirit,  you  do  not  want  to  hear  a  grave  discussion 
upon  the  Protestant  religion.  And  yet  this  religion  is  an  element 
which  is  mixed  up  so  largely  with  our  history,  our  institutions,  and 
all  the  goodly  things  around  us,  that  we  should  be  recreant  to  our 
obligations  if  we  were  to  pass  it  by  in  silence  on  such  a  day  as  this. 
You  will  not  expect  me,  just  as  the  sun  is  setting,  to  spread  out  the 
length  and  breadth  of  the  Protestant  religion ;  I  will,  therefore, 
limit  my  remarks  to  a  single  distinctive  feature  of  it,  which  is 
strikingly  brought  out  in  one  of  the  mottoes  on  these  beautiful  ban- 
ners which  are  floating  over  our  tables  to-day.  The  motto  I  refer 
to  is  this : 

"  Tyrants,  be  afraid  ;  the  Bible  is  unfettered." 

Yes,  the  Bible  is  unfettered.  The  Protestant  religion  unfettered  it, 
and  sent  it  forth  upon  its  mission  of  liberty  and  salvation  among  the 
families  of  the  earth.  Whenever  the  Bil)le  comes  into  the  possession 
of  a  human  being,  it  whispers  to  his  soul  a  great  lesson  on  the  right 
of  private  judgment  in  matters  of  religion.  The  very  fact  of  pos- 
sessing a  Bible  arouses  a  man's  faculties,  and  brings  him  up  to  a 
sense  of  responsibility.  He  understands  that  he  is  to  read  and  inter- 
pret this  holy  volume  for  himself.     This  noble  exercise  of  the  right 


240  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

of  private  judgment  in  matters  of  religion  unsepulchres  the  mind 
and  gives  it  a  new  existence. 

A  young  and  gifted  Italian  asked  me,  a  few  months  ago,  what  he 
should  do  to  be  a  Protestant  ?  I  said  to  him,  "■  Take  your  Bible,  and 
say,  '  this  is  a  revelation  from  God  to  my  soul.  I  will  consult 
it ;  I  will  read  it ;  I  will  sound  its  depths  as  far  as  I  am 
able ;  and  I  will  draw  my  religion  from  its  fountains  of  eternal 
truth.  It  was  given  to  make  me  wise  unto  salvation.  I  will  read 
it  for  myself,  I  will  not  go  to  the  Pope,  or  the  grand-duke,  or  the 
church,  or  the  State,  to  prescribe  my  faith  ;  but  I  will  read  and  in- 
terpret the  Bible  for  myself. '  This  will  make  you  a  Protestant ; 
and,  if  you  will  humbly  believe  the  doctrine  God  reveals  to  your 
faith,  and  obey  the  precepts  God  enjoins  upon  your  life,  you 
will  be,  in  the  highest  sense  and  significance  of  the  word,  a  Chris- 
tian." 

At  the  Reformation,  when  the  people  began  to  read  the  Bible,  they 
found  that  they  had  been  outrageously  abused  in  matters  of  religion  ; 
and,  after  their  minds  had  been  expanded  with  these  new  and  stirring 
subjects  of  inquiry,  they  began  to  direct  their  attention  to  other  quar- 
ters, and  they  soon  found  that  they  had  been  excessively  abused  in 
matters  of  government  as  well  as  religion,  and  their  hearts  soon  began 
to  yearn  for  civil  as  well  as  religious  liberty.  Their  new-born  energies 
prompted  them  to  level  their  double  batteries  against  the  spiritual 
hierarchies  and  political  despotisms  that  overshadowed  them.  Our 
Puritan  fathers  were  the  most  ardent  lovers  of  the  Bible,  and,  by 
necessary  consequence,  of  liberty  too.  They  could  not  be  satisfied, 
or  feel  that  anything  was  done,  till  the  last  chain  of  oppression  was 
broken.  They  came  here,  that  religion  and  liberty  might  have  a 
country  and  a  home  which  they  could  call  their  own.  Puritanism 
is  the  fullest  and  most  perfect  development  of  the  Protestant  reli- 
gion. It  was  this  religion  that  sent  the  Mayflower,  with  the  rudi- 
ments of  an  empire  in  her  cabin,  to  Plymouth  rock. 

This  event,  in  the  language  of  a  great  writer  of  England,  was  the 
beginning  of  America.  "  There  were  straggling  settlers  in  America 
before,  but  the  soul  was  not  there.  These  men  determined  on  settling 
in  the  New  World.  Black,  untamed  forests  are  there,  and  wild, 
savage  creatures,  but  not  so  cruel  as  Star-chamber  hangmen.  They 
thought  the  earth  would  yield  them  food  if  they  tilled  honestly. 
The  everlasting  heaven  would  stretch  there,  too,  overhead,  and  they 


A    BLIND   MINISTER.  241 

should  bo  left  in  peace,  to  prepare  for  eternity,  by  living  well  in 
time.  Ila !  these  men,  I  think,  had  a  work.  The  weak  thing, 
weaker  than  a  child,  becomes  strong  one  day,  if  it  be  a  true  thing. 
Men  could  laugh  at  Puritanism  then,  but  nobody  can  manage  to 
laug})  at  it  now.  Puritanism  has  got  weapons  and  sinews  ;  it  has 
fn-earms,  war  navies  ;  it  can  steer  ships,  fell  forests,  remove  moun- 
tains;  it  is  one  of  the  strongest  things  under  the  sun." 

The  Protestant  religion,  which  "our  fathers  loved  and  our 
mothers  cherished,"  was  not  a  production  of  the  sixteenth  century. 
It  is  as  old  as  the  Word  of  God.  It  traces  back  its  history  to 
Jesus  Christ  and  the  Apostles.  It  existed  in  all  its  strength  and 
beauty  long  before  it  was  overlaid  with  popery.  This  primitive  and 
pure  religion  is  the  glory  and  bulwark  of  our  land.  It  has  be- 
stowed upon  us  the  blessing  of  a  published  Bible,  and  a  proclaimed 
Bible,  too.  God  grant  that  these  blessings  may  remain  our  rich 
heritage,  till  the  shout  of  salvation  shall  thunder  through  the  tem- 
ple of  God. 

In  1846, 1  received  the  degree  of  doctor  iu  divinity 
from  Williams  College.  This  literary  honor  was  unso- 
licited and  unexpected. 

About  this  time,  I  accidentally  made  an  acquaintance 
with  a  distinguished  Quaker  family,  by  the  name  of 
Chase,  residing  in  Chatham,  twelve  miles  off.  The 
head  of  this  house  is  Cornelius  Chase,  a  venerable 
man  of  about  seventy,  highly  intellectual  and  well- 
informed.  He  had  kept  a  successful  boarding-school 
for  many  years,  and  had  acquired  a  fortune  by  that 
business.  He  is,  perhaps,  the  most  conspicuous 
Quaker  in  the  county  of  Columbia.  His  daughter  Mary 
was  an  extraordinary  person.  Mary  was  one  of  those 
rare  spirits  who  seem  given  to  show  us  the  capacities 
of  the  human  mind.  Hers  was  early  stored  with  classic 
and  historic  lore,  and  richly  embellished  with  varied 
and  elegant  literature.  She  was  by  birth  a  poet,  and, 
from  early  childhood  to  her  dying  hour,  her  soul  was 
21 


242  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF 

a  well-tuned  harp,  on  whose  strings  both  the  natural 
and  the  active  world  were  continually  awaking  sweet- 
est music.  In  conversation  she  was  brilliant.  Her 
acquaintance  was  much  courted,  and,  but  for  her 
unusual  stock  of  common  sense,  and  strong  religious 
principle,  she  would  have  become  vain,  perhaps  arti- 
ficial and  egotistic.  But,  as  the  Word  of  God  was  her 
corner-stone,  and  the  Spirit's  guidance  her  glory,  a 
beautiful  simplicity  endeared  her  to  all.  As  a  teacher, 
Miss  Chase  was  faithful  even  to  devotion,  and  as  a 
friend,  generous  and  loving.  In  her  home  she  was 
the  cherished  jewel,  and,  from  her  earliest  days,  her 
wishes  seemed  a  law  written  upon  the  hearts  of  her 
brothers  and  sisters.  Yet  this  never  led  her  to  exact 
from  them,  or  to  assume  a  superiority  over  them ;  on 
the  contrary,  she  seemed  to  have  grown  into  a  trust- 
ing, generous,  self-sacrificing  spirit  in  the  nursery  of 
home  afi'ection.  The  commendation  of  her  father,  the 
honor  of  her  mother,  the  gratification  of  her  brothers 
and  sisters,  appeared  to  be  her  highest  earthly  good. 
She  died,  as  she  had  wished,  with  the  leaves  of  her 
beloved  forest,  in  1852.  "  She  was  committed  to  her 
last  resting-place,"  said  her  father,  in  a  letter  to  me, 
"  not  in  a  public  cemetery,  but  in  a  spot  selected  by 
herself,  under  the  wide-spread  boughs  of  a  majestic 
oak ; —  a  favorite  spot  it  was  to  her  while  living.  There 
peered  up  among  the  leaves  the  first  violets  of  spring, 
the  beautiful  hepatica  with  its  azure  eyes.  Here  she 
sat  to  meditate,  and  here,  in  this  lonely  but  romantic 
spot,  lies  in  soft  repose  the  earthly  remains  of  my 
youngest  born.  A  small,  white  stone  marks  the  spot ; 
on  this  is  inscribed : 


A  BLIND  MINISTER.  243 

"^MARY'S     GRAVE. 

"  '  And  many  an  evening  sun  shines  sweetly  on  her  grave.'  " 

Miss  Chase  acquired  a  high  reputation  by  her  con- 
tributions, in  prose  and  verse,  to  our  principal  literary 
periodicals.  I  had  the  pleasure  of  bringing  about  an 
acquaintance  with  her  and  Tupper,  the  poet  and  pro- 
verbial philosopher  of  England.  This  acquaintance 
produced  an  animated  correspondence  between  them, 
some  portions  of  which  have  been  given  to  the  public. 
I  had  also  the  pleasure  of  a  -correspondence  with  Mr. 
Chase  and  his  daughter.  A  few  of  their  letters  will 
be  here  subjoined : 

(from  miss  chase.) 

Chatham,  September  23,  1848. 
Dr.  and  Mrs.  Woodbridge  : 

My  Dear  Friends,  —  for  such  I  take  the  liberty  of  calling 
you,  —  I  have  used  almost  the  first  leisure  I  have  had  since  I  left 
your  house,  in  a  few  impromptu  lines  on  Trippy,  your  beautiful 
dog,  which  I  will  publish  in  some  one  of  the  periodicals  to  which  I 
contribute,  unless  you  object  to  it.  I  should  be  glad  to  give  immor- 
tality to  Trippy  ;  but  these  few  lines,  I  fear,  will  give  him  but  a 
brief  one.  They  will  serve  to  show  that  I  have  not  forgotten  my 
pleasant  visit  with  Trippy's  guardians  and  friends. 

Well,  autumn  has  come  upon  us  like  a  thief  in  the  night.  "We 
do  not  seem  to  have  any  of  those  lingering  summer  days,  which 
would  almost  cheat  one  into  the  belief  that  the  season  of  roses  and 
singing  birds  would  never  be  over.  But  it  is  right  that  it  should 
be  so,  and  it  seems  to  me  we  live  in  a  climate  peculiarly  adapted  to 
our  nature.  Hope,  promise,  bright  anticipation,  have  their  type  in 
the  spring-time ;  attained  purposes,  fulfilled  desires,  in  the  next 
change  of  the  year  ;  the  harvest  of  good  deeds,  the  reward  of  well- 
doing, in  the  autumn  ;  and  those  solemn  seasons  of  the  soul,  when, 
surrounded  by  our  garnered  sheaves,  we  turn  our  long-deferred  med- 
itations towards  the  past,  and,  reflecting  on  what  we  have  done, 
stand  silently  before  Heaven,  and  wait  for  its  appointed  days  of 


244  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OP 

labor  to  come  round  again,  are  very  like  the  earth's  fallow  time  — 
the  cold  and  dreary,  but  sublime  and  religious,  winter. 

If  we  lived  in  any  of  those  summer  lands,  where  the  harvest  was 
sure  to  our  toil,  where  the  early  frost  never  blighted  the  corn,  nor 
the  late  frost  disturbed  the  fruit-buds,  I  think  we  should  more  easily 
degenerate  into  mere  worshippers  of  nature  (her  phenomena  being 
less  variable) ,  than  in  this  zone,  where  we  feel  often  as  if  Almighty 
Goodness  had  stretched  out  his  set  seasons,  that  the  labor  of  the 
industrious  man  might  have  its  fall  reward.  Welcome,  then, 
stormy  autumn,  since  thou  hast  so  noble  a  mission  to  perform. 
Thine  is  not  only  the  office  to  prepare  the  forest  and  field  for  the 
ruder  storms  of  winter,  but  to  fortify  the  spirit  also.  In  the  figura- 
tive words  of  the  poet : 

"  My  tree  was  thick  with  leaves  ;  0  blast,  thine  office  do. 
And  strip  the  foliage  ofiF,  to  let  the  heaven  shine  through. 
They  're  wholly  blown  away,  bright  blossoms  and  green  leaves  ; 
They're  brought  home  to  the  barns,  all  colorless,  the  sheaves." 

Pardon  my  extended  thought.  I  merely  meant  to  say  a  few 
pleasant  words  to  yourselves,  to  whom  I  tender  my  warmest  regards, 
and  I  have  unconsciously  made  a  letter  of  it.  Please  give  my  love 
to  dear  Charley,  and  tell  him  I  hope  to  go  to  see  him  before  winter, 
and  bring  him  home  with  me  for  a  few  days,  if  he  will  come. 
Your  affectionate  friend, 

Mary  M.  Chase. 

The  following  letter  from  Cornelius  Chase,  writen 
in  Quaker  style,  is  marked  with  a  delightful  simplicity ; 
and,  instead  of  being  a  modern  production,  seems  like 
an  ancient  epistle,  that  has  floated  down  the  stream  of 
time  from  one  of  the  primitive  fathers  of  the  church : 

Chatham,  2d  month  5th,  1850. 
Dear  Friend,  —  Permit  a  stranger  to  address  tliee  in  a  few  words. 
But  stay,  are  we  strangers?  It  is  written,  "  Ye  have  one  master, 
even  Christ,  and  all  ye  are  brethren."  Are  we  strangers,  then ? 
Do  we  not  rather  belong  to  one  family?  May  I  not  claim  a  rela- 
tionship, and  at  once  throw  off  the  reserve  and  diffidence  of  a 


A    BLIND    MINISTER.  245 

stranpinr,  and  address  thee  as  a  brother  in  tlie  gospel  of  Christ,  and 
at  once  avow  my  object  in  thus  troubling  thee  with  these  lines?  It 
is  as  follows  :  'My  daughter  Mary  read  to  nie  a  letter  from  thee,  in 
which  my  name  was  referred  to  in  a  manner  which  seemed  to  me 
an  evidence  of  that  feeling  which  constitutes  the  relationship  above 
alluded  to,  and  also  mention  was  made  of  a  visit  to  us  being  in- 
tended before  long.  This  is,  therefore,  to  express  my  gratification 
thereat,  and  to  invite  thee  to  hasten  the  time,  and  to  bring  thy 
amiable  wife  with  thee. 

In  the  meantime,  believe  me  thy  assured  friend, 

Cornelius  Chase. 

The  following  invitation  from  Mr.  Chase  to  keep 
Christmas  at  his  house,  may  amuse  some  readers,  as 
the  Quaker  Communion  repudiate  all  such  observ- 
ances : 

Chatham,  5th  of  12th  month,  1850. 
Dear  Friends,  —  Sometime  since,  I  understood  that  thou  hadst 
given  encouragement  of  visiting  us  sometime  in  the  future  ;  but,  as 
the  said  visit  has  not  been  performed  as  yet,  I  write  this,  by  way  of 
invitation  to  thee  to  do  so  on  the  25th  of  this  month,  to  be  here  at 
dinner,  and  to  stay  with  us  all  night.  I  do  not  select  that  day  be- 
cause of  its  being  Christmas,  but  because  divers  of  our  friends, 
from  different  parts,  have  informed  us  of  their  intention  to  dine 
with  us  on  that  day,  to  whom  I  should  be  glad  to  introduce  thee  as 
our  friends. 

Very  respectfully,  thy  friend, 

Cornelius  Chase. 

To  this  invitation  Mary  added  her  note  : 

Dear  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Woodbridge,  —  I  hope  it  is  quite  unneces- 
sary for  me  to  add  my  urgent  request,  that  you  would  come  up  to 
Chatham  at  Christmas,  upon  my  father's  invitation.  I  regret  that 
we  could  not  have  visited  you  last  summer,  and  was  only  consoled 
by  hoping  to  do  so  at  a  future  time.  We  had  intended  calling  on 
you  this  fall,  but  cares  have  prevented.  Will  you  not,  my  dear 
friends,  waive  ceremony,  and,  if  health  and  duty  permit,  join  us 
21* 


246  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

either  at  dinner  on  Christmas,  or  in  the  evening  of  that  day.  when 
we  shall  have  a  Christmas  tree,  and  some  agreeable  friends  to  assist 
in  gathering  its  fruit?  All  who  come  will  find  this  remarkable 
plant  bearing  some  fruit  intended  for  them  from  its  first  inception 
and  growth,  though  it  will  neither  be  "  far-fetched  "  or  "dear- 
bought."  We  trust  it  will  serve  as  a  reminder  of  friendship.  I 
shall  rely  upon  Mrs.  W.'s  well-known  energy  and  activity  to  over- 
come obstacles,  should  any  present ;  and  hope  that,  before  dinner, 
your  carriage  will  be  at  our  door.  It  is  but  a  little  way,  and  you 
will  meet  dear  friends. 

In  haste,  with  sincere  regard, 

Mart  M.  Chase. 

We  repaired  to  Mr.  Chase's  Christmas-day,  and  met 
a  most  genial  reception.  We  had  a  large  company 
of  guests  at  dinner,  and  the  establishment  seemed 
like  an  old  baronial  castle.  The  tree  was  exhibited 
in  the  evening,  and  was  magnificent.  The  company 
of  guests  was  very  large.  After  the  tree  and  refresh- 
ments were  over,  Miss  Chase  read  us  a  very  elegant, 
touching,  and  witty  Christmas  tale,  of  her  own  com- 
position. 

(from    MARY.) 

Chatham,  February  3,  1850. 
Dear  Dr.  a:<d  Mrs.  Woocbridge,  —  *  *  *  *  While  the 
pleasant  days  of  summer  lasted,  I  made  many  plans  to  surprise  you 
with  a  visit  of  a  few  hours.  But  we  had  sickness  and  death  in  the 
liouse,  though  not  of  our  own  family  ;  and,  when  the  cholera  came 
GO  fatal  near  by,  I  was  afraid  to  descend  from  our  green  and  whole- 
some hills  to  the  valleys.  A  hundred  domestic  cares,  which  Mrs. 
Woodbridge  will  understand  without  enumeration,  have  prisoned 
nie  this  winter.  Dear  father  and  I  have  often  spoken  of  our  wish 
t.>  see  you,  and,  by  your  letter,  we  are  brightened  with  the  hope  of 
( iitertaining  you  ere  long  at  our  house.  Does  not  Trippy  sometimes 
take  a  journey,  too?  lie  will  be  a  very  welcome  little  guest. 
Please  give  him  a  warm  invitation  to  accompany  his  indulgent  mas- 


A   BLIND    MINISTER.  247 

tor  and  mistress,  when  you  make  us  happy  by  visiting  us.  Assure 
him  that  my  cupboard  is  not  like  that  of  ancient  Mrs.  Hubbard, 
and  always  affords  a  dainty,  delicate  little  bone,  fit  for  so  dainty 
a  dog. 

I  am  happy  to  hear  your  household  is  blessed  with  health,  and 
that  cheerfulness  which  not  all  the  storms  of  winter  can  subdue. 
Ah  !  not  all  the  wealth  of  that  new  land  in  the  West  is  equal  in 
value  to  the  golden  gleams  which  true  Christian  contentment  and 
faith  cast  upon  our  path.  It  used  to  be  a  great  obstacle  in  my  way 
to  observe  the  grave  and  often  gloomy  aspect  of  many  good,  pious 
people.  I  said,"  Why  was  this  buoyant,  imaginative,  gay  spirit  cre- 
ated in  me,  if  it  must  be  crushed,  stilled,  and  fettered,  before  I  can 
possess  my  Father's  crown  of  glory,  laid  up  for  me  since  the  foun- 
dation of  the  world.  Can  I  not  serve  my  Lord,  and  yet  be  joyous 
and  glad?  "  Time  showed  me,  however,  that  none  have  so  true  a 
claim  on  cheerfulness  and  enthusiasm  as  those  who  have  cast  their 
burdens  away  where  Christian,  the  pilgrim,  lost  his.  And,  though 
life  is  a  serious  matter,  and  death  and  eternity  solemn  considera- 
tions, how  much  less  so  are  they  to  those  who  trust  in  God,  than  to 
others!  I  trust,  my  dear  Dr.  Woodbridge,  the  example  of  your 
kindly  and  genial  flow  of  Christian  gladness  and  enthusiasm  was 
an  encouragement  to  me.  How  often  those  wayside  comfor tings 
affect  us  more  than  many  a  labored  discourse. 

I  shall,  with  pleasure,  accept  your  kind  invitation  to  spend  a 
little  while  with  you,  as  soon  as  I  am  able  to  leave  home.  I  enclose 
a  line  from  my  good  old  father,  and,  with  affectionate  remembrance 
to  you  both,  remain,  very  truly, 

Your  friend, 

Mary  M.  Chase. 


CHAPTER    XYII. 

MY  MINISTRY  AT  SPENCERTOWN. 

Letter  to  Mr.  Lester.  — Letter  from  Mr.  Lester,  from  Rome.  — His  Inter- 
view with  the  Pope.  —  Typhoid  Fever.  —  Donation  Visit.  —  Resigna- 
tion of  the  Pastorate.  —  Action  of  the  Presbytery  and  the  Congrega- 
tion. —  Appointment  to  General  Assembly.  —  Position  of  Presbytery 
in  regard  to  Old  and  New  Schools.  —  Exciting  Subjects  in  General 
Assembly.  —  Female  Seminaries.  —  INIiss.  G. 

Spexcertown,  December  10,  1847. 
C.  Edwards  Lester  : 

My  Dearest  Nephew,  —  We  thank  you  for  your  last  let- 
ters. They  were  full  of  matters  of  unwonted  interest.  All  Europe 
is  reeling  to  its  centre,  and  foaming  horses,  I  perceive,  are  bearing 
couriers  through  Italy.  Thrones,  everywhere,  are  heaving ;  kings 
are  turning  pale,  and  the  people  are  excited  to  madness  and  un- 
measured transport  with  their  present  liberation. 

You  have,  then,  projected  a  journey  to  Rome.  I  rejoice  that  you 
are  going  to  the  Eternal  City.  I  hope  you  will  write  me  soon  after 
you  arrive.  I  will  here  make  a  few  inquiries.  You  make  your 
journey,  I  perceive,  from  Civita  Vecchia.  I  have  heard  much  of 
the  little  journey  from  that  seaport  to  the  Eternal  City.  Will  you 
describe  to  me  the  first  distant  appearance  of  the  dome  of  St.  Peters? 
Travellers  represent  it  as  a  striking  phenomenon.  When  you  are 
in  Rome,  millions  of  spirits  will  seem  to  fill  the  atmosphere  above 
and  around  you.  The  mighty  shades  of  the  dead  of  olden  times 
will  haunt  your  fancy.  I  want  you  to  tell  me  of  the  associations 
which  the  buried  empire  under  your  feet  will  awaken  in  your  mind. 
You  will  be  at  Rome  at  a  specially  interesting  time,  and  will  see  the 
effects  of  the  revolutionary  movements  of  Europe  upon  the  head- 
quarters of  moral  influence.  I  shall  be  intensely  curious  to  hear 
from  you,  a  personal  witness,  in  regard  to  that  subject.     I  suppose 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  A   BLIND   MINISTER.  249 

you  will  have  an  interview  with  the  Pope  at  this  most  exciting  time. 
lie  seems  at  present  to  be  rising  in  popularity  ;  but  I  judge  of  the 
character  of  no  man  in  an  elevated  position  till  he  is  dead.  We 
are  all  hasty  in  our  judgments  in  this  country  ;  but  there  is  wisdom 
as  well  as  wit  in  John  Randolph's  remark  in  the  Senate,  when  Bol- 
ivar was  called  the  Washington  of  South  America :  "I  would 
rather,"  said  the  eccentric  senator  from  Virginia,  "  have  our  dead 
Washington  than  a  thousand  living  Bolivars." 

Life  flows  on  in  Spencertown  quietly  and  sweetly.  My  marriage 
was  the  brightest  event  of  my  life.  My  wife  sends  a  thousand 
thanks  to  Cousin  Ellen  for  the  long  and  piquant  and  graphic 
letter  she  sent  her.  It  is  such  a  letter  as  none  but  a  woman  could 
write,  and  one  woman  knows  how  to  write  to  the  heart  of  another 
of  her  own  sex.  Mrs.  W.  is  delighted  with  Cousin  Ellen's  minute 
pictures  of  the  spirit  and  form  of  domestic  life.  Such  letters  are 
instructive  and  fascinating,  and  I  should  be  glad  to  publish  ex- 
tracts from  this  last  one. 

My  congregation  here  is  united  and  flourishing,  and  my  most 
earnest  desire  and  prayer  is,  that  spiritual  blessings  may  descend 
upon  us  till  we  are  compelled  to  exclaim,  "  Stay  thy  hand,  0  God, 
for  it  is  enough  ;  we  have  not  any  more  room  for  blessings."  This 
is  the  grand  drift  of  all  my  prayers,  sermons,  and  efibrts  of  every 
kind. 

Though  the  next  presidential  canvass  is  somewhat  distant,  people 
already  begin  to  be  excited,  and  I  fear  we  shall  have  a  tremendous 
campaign.  I  dread  one  of  these  presidential  elections,  and,  from 
the  path  where  I  walk  my  spiritual  rounds,  I  look  forward  to  them 
as  the  traveller  in  the  Arabian  desert  looks  at  the  red  and  glaring 
simoom  that  is  beginning  to  rise  in  the  south.  May  God  save  us 
from  an  absorption  in  politics. 

I  can  think  of  nothing  of  a  local  nature  that  is  specially  interest- 
ing. We  all  remember  you  here  with  affection  and  respect,  and 
long  to  have  you  return  and  tell  us  of  your  travels.  As  your  busi- 
ness in  Europe  causes  you  to  reside  there  in  this  most  exciting  time, 
I  think  you  must  have  some  most  delightful  materials  for  a  book. 
When  you  return,  which  I  trust  will  be  as  soon  as  next  summer, 
come  directly  with  your  family  to  my  house.  This  is  your  home  of 
affection,  and  I  trust  you  will  make  it  your  first  place  of  repose 
after  coming  to  America.     My  dear  wife  and  her  mother  wish  me  to 


250  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

assure  you  of  their  continued  and  tenderest  regard.     Give  our  best 
love  to  the  dear  children,  and  kiss  them  for  us. 

Sincerely  and  affectionately,  your  uncle, 

T.    WOODBRIDGE. 

Rome,  March  27,  1848. 

My  Dear  Uncle,  —  At  last  I  am  in  the  tomb  of  the  Caesars; 
but  I  cannot  answer  half  your  questions  till  I  meet  you  on  the 
banks  of  our  charming  Green  River.  The  clarion  of  revolution  has 
sounded  once  more  through  Europe.  I  had  been  in  Italy  several 
years  v^uthout  seeing  Rome.  Ready  to  start  for  home  —  that  wild 
fc^ team-world  —  and,  as  Italy  was  rocking  to  the  shock  of  an  earth- 
quake revolution,  I  did  not  dare  to  take  my  family  with  me  ;  but  I 
felt  safe  in  leaving  them,  for  there  were  three  or  four  American  war 
vessels  lying  in  the  harbor. 

So,  with  my  family  in  a  hotel,  whose  windows  looked  out  on  those 
gallant  ships,  to  which  they  could,  at  a  moment's  notice,  escape,  for 
a  kind  and  powerful  shelter,  from  the  imminent  explosions  expected 
every  hour  at  Genoa,  I  packed  up  my  "  duds  "  for  Rome,  com- 
pelled, for  the  want  of  time,  to  go  by  sea. 

Late  at  night,  it  became  very  rough,  and  we  went  to  our  berths, 
and,  at  seven  in  the  morning,  reached  Civita  Vecchia,  the  ancient 
Cento  Celle  of  the  Romans.  It  had  been  a  matter  of  speculation,  all 
the  way  from  Genoa,  whether  the  Pope,  by  the  pressure  of  events, 
or  by  his  own  inclination,  would  grant  a  constitution ;  but,  as  we 
entered  the  harbor,  we  saw  the  tri-color  of  Italy  flying,  that  an- 
cient sign  of  democracy  in  the  Imperial  City  which  floated  there  in 
the  time  of  Napoleon,  which  announced  that  the  cause  of  national 
independence  had  triumphed. 

When  we  landed,  we  saw  the  Constitution  ;  and,  in  reading  it  on 
the  corners  of  the  streets,  published  in  large  letters,  found  that  it 
embraced  the  fundamental  principles  of  religious  and  political  lib- 
erty. 

The  next  problem  to  solve  was,  how  Pius  IX.  could  live  under 
such  a  regime  —  for  it  had  been  very  evident  to  everybody  that  he 
could  not  live  under  any  other ;  so  that,  whatever,  may  be  the 
result  of  his  policy,  it  was  a  matter  of  life  and  death  to  him  to 
adopt  it  at  the  time,  although  it  might  prove  a  hazardous  experiment 
in  the  end. 


A  BLIND   MINISTER.  251 


# 


We  had  to  pass  three  hours  at  Civita  Vecchia,  in  the  midst  of  an 
infamous  gang  of  lazzaroni,  venal  officers,  dirty  streets,  a  drenching 
rain,  a  popular  yell  of  brigands  (who  descended  from  the  moun- 
tains) for  Pius  IX.,  because  they  hope  to  have  an  opportunity  to 
to  rob  everybody  else  with  impunity ;  and  in  the  midst  also  of 
execrations  from  priests,  Jesuits,  and  monks,  and  police  officers, 
because  they  feared  their  reign  was  over. 

Poor  Pio  Nino !  You  have  a  hard  job  before  you  to  reform 
your  people,  and  you  will  never  do  it.  It  is  no  joke  to  change  the 
character  of  five  millions  of  people  in  a  day.  They  want  liberty, 
but  they  will  not  know  what  to  do  with  it.     Thus  I  thought. 

The  regular  diligenza  had  started  off  for  Rome,  which  was  fifty 
miles  distant,  and  we  had  to  start  one  on  our  own  account. 

For  twenty-five  miles  our  ride  lay  along  the  sea,  or  in  sight  of  it, 
through  vast  fields,  grown  up  with  briars — few  habitations  strag- 
gling over  the  waste — herds  of  goats,  with  their  long  white  hair  — 
white  Roman  oxen,  with  their  wide-spreading  horns  —  horses,  half- 
wild  ;  but  all  half-starved. 

For  twenty-five  miles,  we  saw  but  one  field  of  growing  grain  ;  and 
one  of  the  richest  soils  on  earth,  that  had  furnished  estates  for  the 
ancient  Roman  nobility,  that  had  been  enriched  with  the  most  pro- 
lific productions,  domestic  and  exotic  —  all  baking  in  a  sultry  sun  one 
day,  and  soaking,  the  next,  in  pools  of  muddy  water.  Everywhere 
was  ruin  —  decay.  Some  half-asleep  pastor  lay  watching  his  herds, 
with  his  suggestive,  but,  for  him,  meaningless  crook  ;  and  all  this 
up  to  the  very  gates  of  Rome  !  Heaven  above  !  what  was  the  Yan- 
kee traveller  coming  to  ? 

Twenty-two  miles  from  Rome,  we  mounted  a  hill,  and  saw  in  the 
distance  the  dome  of  St.  Peter's,  like  a  round  pyramid  on  a  desert ; 
but  not  another  sign  of  Rome  yet  —  not  another  building  nor  spire 
—  nothing  but  that  solitary  dome. 

Just  at  this  moment,  as  if  the  day  of  all  days  was  to  be  signal- 
ized by  some  extraordinary  event,  while  wo  were  gazing  our  eyes 
out  of  our  heads,  down  came  the  old  diligenza,  with  a  crash  which 
sounded  very  much  like  a  declaration  of  war  against  going  another 
inch  fiirther  that  night  towards  Rome.  Well,  a  carriage  came 
along ;  I  happened  to  know  its  owner  ;  he  offered  me  a  seat  to 
Rome. 


252  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

The  sun  was  going  down  in  the  sea,  and  casting  his  floods  of  gold 
over  the  desolations  of  desert  and  empire.  St.  Peter's  caught  the 
last  rays  of  the  sunset,  and  held  them  bright,  after  the  sun  had  set 
to  us;  and  then  we  did  not  lose  sight  of  it,  for  the  moon  was  already 
in  the  eastern  sky,  and  the  dome  only  looked  black  after  the  sunset 
in  the  deep  and  impressive  shadow  it  cast  on  itself. 

On  we  went,  through  the  desert  towards  Rome.  Horrid  roads, 
desolation  on  all  sides,  no  railroad,  "  no  nothing."  Well,  there  was 
a  comfort  in  all  this  —  rutty,  ruinous  roads  ought  to  take  the  'pilgrim 
of  the  luestern  steam-world  to  the  grand  ruin  of  ages.  There  was 
something  like  harmony  (in  artistic  language)  in  approaching  old 
Rome  through  such  a  desolation. 

As  we  drew  near  the  Eternal  City,  the  dome  grew  smaller  —  as 
Rome,  in  ancient  times,  grew  larger  to  Gauls,  Germans,  Egyptians, 
Greeks,  Carthaginians,  and  even  Britons,  as  they  retired  from  it  — 
every  hour,  every  step.  ' 

At  last,  near  midnight,  we  entered  the  gate  Angelica,  which  rises 
beautiful  in  its  massive,  but  chaste  proportions,  under  the  shadow  of 
St.  Peter's,  at  the  northwest  corner  of  the  city.  Here,  too,  all  was 
in  keeping. 

Our  baggage  had  been  examined  at  Civita  Vecchia,  and  declared 
free;  but  the  bullo,  which  had  been  put  on  every  trunk,  box,  and 
bandbox,  to  save  after  trouble,  was  overhauled  at  the  gate,  or  would 
have  been,  by  a  band  of  midnight  locusts,  who  came  out,  rubbing 
their  eyes,  with  short  pipes  in  their  mouths,  to  look  after  the  Dogi- 
nal  interest,  and  make  large  speeches  about  "  bulli ;  "  and  "It  is 
necessary  to  open  all  these  trunks ;  but,  if  you  can  give  us  the 
usual  buono  mano,  all  will  go  right,  and  you  will  be  saved  the 
trouble,"  etc.,  etc.  \Yell,  we  gave  them  three  pauls,  which  the 
Italian  gentleman  in  the  coupe  said  was  enough,  but  which  they 
said,  "  Not  enough,  signor.  It  will  cost  you  more  trouble  than 
that,  signor." 

Gods  of  Old  Rome!  Jupiter  and  all  your  celestial  family! 
where  have  you  all  gone  to?  and  whom  have  you  given  place  to  ? 
Popes,  or  somebody  else,  who  have  perpetrated  worse  freaks  than 
you  ever  did,  by  a  very  long  shot. 

We  went  by  St.  Peter's  on  to  the  castle  of  St.  Angelo,  over  the 
Tiber,  "chafing  his  shores,"  like  a  muddy  American  brook  in  a 


A  BLTND   MINISTER.  253 

thunder-storm  —  stopped  at  the  first  inn,  and,  tired,  cold,  wet,  half 
dead,  I  laid  myself  down  in  the  city  of  ruins,  feeling  almost  as 
antiquated  as  anything  in  it.  I  could  not  sleep ;  I  was  in  Rome. 
I  could  as  soon  have  slept  in  a  sepulchre;  up,  down,  Rome — al- 
ways that  mighty  sarcophagus  of  nations. 

Towards  morning,  I  got  rested;  and,  the  first  shock  of  feeling 
myself  in  Rome  having  passed,  I  began  to  sleep  ;  and  such  a  sleep ! 
All  the  bright  and  glorious  things  of  all  my  life  came  crowding 
round  my  fancy  ;  for  it  is  not  enough  to  say  they  clustered.  Every 
beautiful  statue  I  had  ever  seen  or  heard  of  was  there  in  one  en- 
chanted hall  —  all  waked  to  life,  breathing  music,  grouping,  bend- 
ing round  me,  and  so,  till  the  sun  came  through  my  window,  and  I 
looked  out  and  saw  the  ruined  city,  the  tomb  where  nations  had 
found  their  sepulchre,  and  from  whose  ashes  even  American  civiliza- 
tion had  lighted  its  torch. 

In  coming  down  from  the  ball  of  St.  Peter's,  one  afternoon,  I 
found  a  friend  waiting  for  me,  with  a  pair  of  fine-blooded  English 
saddle-horses.  \Ye  mounted,  and  rode  for  two  or  three  hours 
around  the  western  environs  of  Rome.  At  sundown,  we  entered 
the  city  at  tlie  western  gate,  crossed  the  Tiber  by  the  castle  of 
St.  Angelo,  passed  through  the  town,  rode  under  the  arch  of  Titus, 
by  the  Golden  House  of  the  Caesars,  around  and  through  the  Coli- 
seum, by  the  Campidoglio,  and  came  out  on  the  piazza  of  ^Monte 
Cavallo. 

At  seven  that  evening,  I  went  to  the  Quirinal,  and  a  Monsignore 
showed  me  into  the  Pontifi"s audience-chamber,  and  withdrew.  Pius 
was  seated  on  the  side  of  a  large  room,  completely  draped  in  crim- 
son velvet,  with  a  ceiling  exquisitely  painted  in  fresco,  and  corniced 
in  gold,  beside  a  table,  and  clothed  in  the  usual  dress  he  wears, 
with  the  little  white  silk  cap  on  his  head.  This  first  interview, 
being  one  which  the  courtesy  of  the  Pope  had  extended,  without 
an  application,  I  felt  the  more  bound  to  comply  with  the  etiquette 
whicli  is  deemed  appropriate,  if  not  absolutely  necessary,  in  all 
audiences  with  the  Sovereign  Pontiff.  As  I  entered,  the  Pope  rose 
partly  from  his  chair.  Half-way  from  the  door,  I  dropped  on  one 
knee  for  a  moment,  when  he  beckoned  me  forward.  I  approached. 
He  at  once  extended  his  hand,  which  I  kissed.  He  took  both  my 
hands  in  his,  and  addressed  me  with  such  kind  words  as  a  prince  and 

22 


254  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

a  pontiff  only  can  afford  to  say  to  one  who  could  lay  little  claim  to 
his  condescension. 

"  Santo  Padre,"  I  said,  "  you  know  that  I  am  a  Protestant ;  but, 
in  complying  with  the  ceremony  which  attends  the  introduction  of 
any  man  to  your  presence,  I  trust  that  your  holiness  will  believe 
that  every  token  of  respect  which  I  show  comes  from  my  heart ; 
otherwise  I  should  not  be  here." 

"  Yes,  my  son,  I  know  it.  Speak  to  me  as  you  would  speak  to  any 
friend  that  you  love,  for  I  feel  towards  you  as  a  father.  So  far  as 
you  recognize  in  my  poor  person  a  representation  of  the  religion  of 
our  common  Saviour,  so  far  I  recognize  in  you  an  equally  honest 
and  inspiring  faith." 

"  Your  holiness  has  had  occasion  to  know  how  my  countrymen 
feel  towards  you . " 

"  Yes ;  it  seems  that  the  Americans  do  love  me.  They  are  a  free 
and  a  great  nation.  Your  country  is  full  of  light  and  truth  and 
liberty.     Have  you  been  long  resident  at  Genoa?  " 

"Six  years." 

' '  And  your  family  ?  ' ' 

"  A  wife  and  two  children." 

"  What  are  the  children's  names?  " 

"  Ellen  and  Charles.  I  had  often  promised  to  bring  them  to 
Rome.  They  have  spent  most  of  the  few  years  of  their  lives  in 
Italy.  The  Italian  is  their  mother  language.  They  have  grown 
very  familiar  with  the  songs  of  triumph  and  liberty  they  have  heard 
during  the  last  two  years.  But,  when  I  left  Genoa,  I  did  not  deem 
it  safe  to  bring  them  with  me.  They  wept  when  I  parted  with 
them ;  for  I  had  not  redeemed  my  pledge,  and  they  could  hardly 
understand  the  reason." 

"But  I  will,  nevertheless,  bless  them,  and  with  all  my  heart." 
Seating  himself  again,  and  desiring  me  also  to  be  seated,  he  hastily 
caught  up  his  pen,  and,  on  a  sheet  of  note  paper,  wrote  these  words  : 
"  i)zo  benedica  Elena  e  Carlo  Lester.'"  (God  bless  Ellen  and 
Charles  Lester.)  "Take  this  to  Ellen  and  Carlino,"  he  added, 
"  and  tell  them  that  Pio  Nino  loves  them,  and  will  pray  for  them 
every  day  ;  and,  some  time  or  other,  they  must  come  to  Rome  and 
see  me." 

He  asked  me  about  my  studies.     I  mentioned  the  name  of  Ililde- 


A  BLIND  MINISTER.  255 

brand  with  great  admiration,  and  remarked,  that  I  had  made  what 
progress  I  could,  in  the  libraries  of  Genoa  for  some  years,  in  collect- 
ing the  materials  for  the  life  of  that  great  statesman. 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  you  speak  so  of  Hildebrand  ;  he  was  a  great 
and  glorious  defender  of  the  nationality  and  tne  liberties  of  Italy, 
during  the  Dark  Ages.  lie  had  a  breast  of  steel.  He  looks  to  me 
like  a  column  of  fire  on  the  desert  of  ages.  You  must  write  about 
Hildebrand,  and  of  course  you  will  have  to  come  to  Rome  to  do  it. 
Here  you  will  find  many  new  and  rich  materials  for  such  a  work, 
and  in  this  matter  I  can  help  you  materially.  There  is  much  in 
the  Vatican  on  this  subject,  which  belongs  to  all  mankind,  and  we 
must  try  and  dig  it  out." 

I  had  taken  with  me  a  copy  of  one  or  two  of  my  works,  which  I 
offered  for  his  acceptance.  They  were  received  most  graciously, 
and  I  was  somewhat  surprised  at  the  correct  pronunciation  of  the 
Pope,  as  he  read  rapidly  aloud  the  title-pages.  He  rang  the  bell, 
when  a  gentleman  entered,  to  whom  he  announced  that  he  would  be 
engaged  for  the  evening,  and  could  see  no  other  person.  With  the 
assurance  that  it  would  be  agreeable  to  his  holiness  to  have  me  re- 
main for  some  time,  to  communicate  information  in  reference  to  my 
own  country,  and  at  a  further  and  more  pressing  invitation,  I  took 
my  scat,  feeling  entirely  free  from  any  restraint  which  would  have 
been  imposed  by  any  but  a  strictly  private  audience. 

******* 

I  soon  learned  that  one  of  the  new  ministers  of  Charles  Albert, 
who  had  done  me  many  kindnesses  long  before  he  ever  aspired  to  the 
cabinet  of  a  King,  had  written  a  letter  to  Rome  before  my  arrival, 
which  had  secured,  without  my  agency,  the  invitation  to  the  audi- 
ence I  was  now  attending,  with  such  assurances  as  had  gained  for 
me  courtesies  and  condescensions  to  which,  according  to  the  customs 
of  the  country,  I  felt  myself  in  no  manner  entitled.  I  was  better 
known,  in  two  senses,  than  I  had  supposed;  and  in  reply  to  the  ob- 
ject of  my  visit,  I  said,  "  I  have  come  to  Rome,  not  to  see  the  tombs 
of  the  Ca3sars,  for  already  the  modern  has,  to  me,  become  greater 
than  the  ancient  world.  I  have  written  voluminously,  but  care- 
fully, of  the  events  of  the  last  few  years,  and  I  expect  to  print  what 
I  have  written  when  I  go  home.  I  have  been  obliged  to  speak 
often  and  to  say  much  of  yourself;  and  in  this,  as  in  all  other 
things,  I  desire  to  speak  only  the  truth  —  to  make  no  mistake  ;  and, 


256  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OP 

in  the  midst  of  a  thousand  contradictory  reports  about  many  things, 
I  did  not  know  what  was  true.  My  chief  object  in  coming  to  Rome, 
then,  was  to  know  the  exact  truth  in  regard  to  yourself  and  your 
pontificate." 

"  And  I  will  help  you  in  this  kind  work.  You  have  the  means 
of  making  your  countrymen  understand  the  truth  of  me  and  my 
country  and  the  times.  The  business  of  the  historian  is  noble  ;  ho 
records  God's  doings  on  the  earth ;   he  could  not  have  a  higher 

office.     I  will  help  you.     I  will  send  Monsignore to  present 

to  you  his  eminence  the  Cardinal ,  who  is  my  friend.     He 

knows  all  about  me  and  my  pontificate,  and  you  can  take  anything 
from  him  as  though  it  came  from  me." 

Again  he  rang  the  bell,  and  the  Monsignore  appeared,  received 
his  orders,  and  withdrew. 

*  *  #  *  *  #  # 

It  is  the  custom,  of  course,  at  all  the  courts,  for  persons  who  are 
honored  with  an  audience  by  a  sovereign,  to  follow,  and  in  no  case 
lead,  the  conversation,  and  to  remain  in  the  royal  presence  until  a 
gracious  indication  is  given  of  an  adieu.  Already  more  than  two 
hours  had  passed,  and  I  had  for  some  time  been  waiting,  with  a 
little  impatience,  the  usual  intimation  that  the  audience  was  over. 
Not  receiving  it,  I  arose  to  go. 

*'  No,  not  yet,  if  you  will  stay.  I  am  tired,  very  ;  I  always  am. 
I  do  not  expect  repose  ;  but  it  rests  me  to  talk  with  you.  There  is 
something  new  and  fresh  about  these  ideas  and  this  interview. 
Anything  but  public  business  gives  me  repose,  more  profound  than 
the  deepest  sleep.  Let  us  go  on."  And  he  asked  me  a  great  many 
questions  about  America,  and  expressed,  in  many  forms,  the  kindest 
feelings  towards  my  country.  "  I  have  sent  a  small  present  to  the 
Americans.  Its  value  was  not  great,  but  I  sent  my  heart  with  it." 
The  pontifi*  here  alluded  to  a  complete  collection  of  the  pontifical 
coins,  which  were  forwarded  to  this  country,  of  the  value  of  several 
thousand  dollars,  and  which,  to  the  very  great  regret  of  all  the 
friends  of  learning  and  science,  were  destroyed  in  the  conflagration 
of  the  library  of  Congress." 

After  much  more  conversation,  I  again  rose. 

"  Ah, stop  a  moment,  if  j^ou  please.  I  will  not  keep  you  wait- 
ing." Taking  a  wax  candle  from  the  table,  and  lighting  it  by  the 
shaded  lamp  before  him,  he  withdrew  to  an  adjoining  room,  and 


A  BLIND   MINISTER.  257 

soon  returned,  bringing  with  him  a  little  morocco  case.  "  I  have 
brought  you  a  small  token  of  my  love.  If  you  carry  this  vvith  you 
when  you  leave  Rome,  you  will  not  forget  Pius  IX."  He  handed 
me  the  case,  and  interrupted  my  thanks  by  saying,  that  if  I  desired 
to  ask  him  any  special  questions  about  his  pontificate,  or  the  state 
of  Italian  affairs,  1  could  do  so  with  the  utmost  freedom.  I  did  ask 
him  several  questions  that  seemed  to  me  to  give  him  an  opportunity 
of  explaining,  just  at  far  as  he  wished  and  no  further,  the  future 
policy  of  the  pontificate. 

"  I  began,''  said  he,  "to  administer  the  Holy  See  with  the  same 
views  I  had  always  cherished,  viz.,  that  there  is  nothing  in  the  gos- 
pel, or  the  Church  of  Christ,  that  does  not  harmonize  perfectly  with 
the  largest  civil  liberty  ;  and  that,  when  this  idea  is  fully  under- 
stood by  the  world,  the  priests  will  give  up  their  hostility  against 
liberal  governments,  and  the  people  their  prejudices  against  the 
church  and  the  priesthood." 

Here  I  asked :  "Is  your  holiness  persuaded  that  the  principles 
of  the  gospel,  as  they  are  understood  by  the  church,  harmonize 
perfectly  with  full  liberty  of  conscience,  as  well  as  with  the  largest 
degree  of  civil  liberty  ?  ' ' 

"  Assuredly  I  am.  No  sort  of  attempt  to  impose  creeds  upon 
men,  or  to  control  religious  opinions,  has  ever,  in  the  long  run,  been 
successful.  Men's  bodies  and  fortunes  may  be  managed  and  manip- 
ulated by  force  ;  but  no  attempt  in  Christendom  has  ever  succeeded, 
or  ever  ought  to  succeed,  in  manipulating  men's  consciences.  Least 
of  all  should  this  be  done  noiv,  for  we  are  living  at  a  period  when 
civil  and  religious  liberty  have  become  indispensable  to  the  peace 
of  society.  The  power  of  princes,  as  such,  is  gone  —  their  physical 
power,  I  mean ;  and  henceforth  they  can  neither  preserve  their 
thrones  nor  their  influence,  unless  they  move  on  with  the  rest  of  the 
world,  and  blend  their  ambitions  and  interests  with  the  progress  of 
the  human  race." 

******* 

"  If  such  are  the  opinions  of  your  holiness,  and  God  spares  your 
life,  I  most  ardently  hope  that  we  shall  soon  see,  not  only  a  political 
amelioration  in  the  condition  of  men.  but  a  complete  religious  union 
throughout  Christendom.  The  schism  of  the  sixteenth  century 
seems  to  me  to  have  taken  place  on  this  ground.  Had  Leo  X.  held 
these  opinions,  Protestantism  never  would  have  existed.  Liberty, 
civil  and  religious,  was  the  only  great  point  at  issue  between  the 
22* 


258  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OP 

Protestants  and  the  Papists.  Leo  denied  many  of  these  very  prin- 
ciples which  you  have  conceded  to  your  subjects.  Protestants  never 
go  back.  They  may  meet  you  on  common  ground,  as  far  as  matters 
of  Christian  faith  in  cardinal  principles  go,  provided  you  yield  to 
these  great  principles  of  civil  liberty,  which  the  church  has  steadily 
fought  against  for  several  centuries.  In  proof  of  this,  you  have  al- 
ready seen  the  enthusiasm  which  your  reforms  have  excited  among 
the  Protestants  of  the  United  States." 

"Yes,  and  with  great  delight.  I  am  persuaded  that  such  are  the 
institutions  of  the  United  States,  that,  in  all  ideas  of  national  lib- 
erty, your  people  are  not  only  better  educated,  but  that  in  fact  you 
are  the  freest  people  in  the  world." 

I  found  the  Pope  bolder  and  more  radical  in  his  views  about 
civil  liberty  than  I  expected.  I  could  not  but  continue  ;  and,  in 
reply  to  one  of  my  remarks,  he  asked  : 

"  Do  you  think  that  the  Protestants  of  America  would  return  to 
the  bosom  of  the  church  ?  ' ' 

"  Not  the  church  their  fathers  left,  by  any  means.  They  would, 
however,  I  doubt  not,  under  the  inspiration  of  a  general  movement 
throughout  Christendom,  yield  everything  but  those  essential  points 
which  they  conceive  to  lie  at  the  very  basis  of  civil  and  religious 
liberty." 

"  What  will  they  not  give  up?  " 

*'  There  are  a  few  things,  certainly,  they  cannot  and  will  not  sur- 
render. First,  the  great  principle,  that  man  is  endowed  by  his  Cre- 
ator with  the  right  to  act  and  think  with  perfect  liberty,  so  far  as 
his  thoughts  and  acts  do  not  contravene  the  rights  and  happiness  of 
others.  Second,  that  the  church  has  no  power  whatever  over  the 
souls  of  men,  except  that  moral  power  with  which  God  has  endowed 
all  pre-eminent  goodness  ;  especially  that  holiness  which,  when  com- 
pletely embodied  in  an  ecclesiastical  organization,  was  intended  by 
the  Saviour,  and  is  expected  of  men,  to  be  worthy  of  veneration, 
support,  love,  and,  I  will  even  say,  obedience.  I  doubt  not  that,  if 
the  Protestants  of  America  become  entirely  persuaded  that  the 
Church  of  Rome  is  friendly  to  the  largest  degree  of  civil  and  reli- 
gious liberty,  which  can  consist  w4th  the  greatest  order  and  the 
greatest  progress  of  mankind  ;  that  she  is  disposed  to  adapt  herself 
to  the  spirit  and  intelligence  of  the  age  —  that  they  will  regard 
your  church,  and  yourself,  as  the  representative  of  it,  in  a  far  dif- 


A   BLIND   MINISTER.  259 

ferent  liglit  from  what  they  now  do.  They  might  even  recognize 
you  as  tho  visible  head  of  Christ's  Church  on  earth.  Perhaps  it 
might  be  necessary  to  liave  their  concurrence  asked,  and  to  have  their 
concurrence  given  in  your  election,  or  the  election  of  your  successor, 
on  a  true  representative  principle,  by  which,  as  wo  elect  a  President, 
a  Pope  should  be  elected  —  by  a  college,  chosen  by  men  who  believe 
in  a  common  Saviour  throughout  all  nations." 

I  had  been  betrayed,  I  was  afraid,  too  far  already  ;  but  a  single 
remark,  and  a  kind  look  from  Pius,  cmbolded  me  to  continue,  and  I 
said,  "  I  hope  that  your  reforms  may  be  carried  as  far  in  the  Church 
as  they  have  been  in  the  State  ;  and  T  doubt  not  you  will  find  tho 
Protestants  more  ready  to  meet  you  halfway  than  either  the  priest- 
hood or  the  hierarchy  of  the  Catholic  Church  will  be." 

Pius  said  that  he  could  not  but  hear  such  opinions  with  pleasure. 
"  I  see  no  object,"  said  he,  "  so  great  or  glorious  for  a  good  man 
to  live  for,  as  a  union  of  all  the  believers  of  Christ  under  the  shadow 
of  the  Cross  of  Calvary,  and  the  concentration  of  their  united 
forces  in  civilizing  and  enlightening  the  ivorld — of  redeeming  the 
great,  the  entire  mass  of  humanity,  through  the  sublime  agency 
of  the  gospel.  If  we  shall  live  to  see  that  day,  God  only  knows. 
So  far  as  I  may  have  the  means  given  to  me  to  bring  it  about  by 
Providence,  be  assured  that  I  shall  use  them." 

When  at  last  the  good  man  bowed,  and  I  was  to  leave,  1  knelt 
before  him,  and  asked  him  to  give  me  his  benediction.  He  hold  his 
right  hand  on  my  head,  and  said  :  "  I  do  give  thee  my  benediction, 
and  I  will  pray  God,  our  Almighty  Father,  to  bless  you,  for  his 
blessing  maketh  ricli  and  addeth  no  sorrow  with  it."  And  then  he 
used  these  words:  "May  the  blessing  of  God  descend  on  your 
head ;  may  God's  good  Spirit  guide  you  into  all  truth  ;  may  his 
Providence  uphold  and  protect  you,  your  wife,  and  your  little  chil- 
dren ;  and  may  he  at  last  bring  us,  by  his  grace,  to  the  world  of 
the  redeemed.  And  the  same  blessing  I  ask  for  you,  I  implore  for 
your  friends  and  your  country.  0  God,"  he  said,  as  he  turned  his 
eyes  up  to  heaven,  "  thou  knowest  that  I  love  the  country  of  Wash- 
ington. I  pray  thee  to  bless  that  dear  and  favored  nation  wliich 
thou  hast  loved  so  well.  Fill  it  with  the  light  of  eternal  truth  and 
the  cheerfulness  of  thy  divine  countenance.  Preserve  its  liberties, 
its  union,  and  its  virtue.  May  it  continue  to  be  the  asylum  of 
exiles  and  of  tho  oppressed,  until  the  day  comes  when  man  shall 


260  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

everywhere  find  a  home,  and  in  every  man's  heart  a  brother."    And 

he  closed  with  the  apostolical  benediction. 

Much  as  I  knew  of  Pius  IX.,  I  did  not  expect  all  this.  I  bowed 
before  him  ;  for  I  felt  that  I  was  in  the  presence  of  a  man  Heaven 
seemed  to  have  chosen  to  lead  the  human  race  out  of  the  house  of 
bondage.  He  took  my  hands,  and  said,  "  Come  to  my  heart,  my 
son."  He  embraced  me.  "Do  not  be  discouraged  for  the  world," 
he  continued  ;  "  statesmen  no  longer  control  it.  Christ  has  under- 
taken the  salvation  of  mankind,  and,  in  his  immense  benevolence 
and  power,  he  has  begun  to  achieve  the  miracle  of  the  emancipation 
of  the  race.  Europe,  we  hope,  will  soon  be  as  free  as  you  ;  and 
then  we  must  unite  all  our  forces  in  aid  of  this  glorious  design  of 
redeeming  our  suffering  world.  Adieu,  my  son;  go  in  peace.  May 
God  watch  over  you  till  the  last  moment,  and  then  take  you  to  him- 
self. I  will  not  forget  to  pray  for  you,  for  your  family,  for  little 
Ellena  and  Carlino.  These  things  I  bless  for  them,  and  these  little 
medals  for  those  of  your  friends,  who  will  wear  them  in  affection  for 
me.     Addio  mio  figlio.'" 

Through  long  suites  of  apartments,  gorgeous  in  crimson  and  gold, 
and  embellished  with  the  genius  of  ages  ;  surrounded  as  I  felt  my- 
self, almost,  by  a  holy  radiance,  I  passed  and  descended  long  flights 
of  marble  steps,  and  went  through  two  files  of  halberdiers,  guarding 
the  entrance  to  the  palace,  and  emerged  from  the  dark  shadow  of 
its  portals  into  the  clear  blue  sky.  The  midnight  moon  had  flooded 
this  loftiest  of  the  seven  hills  with  its  calm,  delicious  splendor. 
There  stood  the  imperishable  horses  of  Phidias,  matchless  and  fresh, 
as  they  came  from  the  hand  of  the  Greek,  twenty- three  centuries 
ago.  Below  lay  the  still  city  and  its  mighty  thousands  ;  and  they 
seemed  to  me  like  one  vast  family,  watched  over  in  their  paradise 
hoaae  by  a  powerful,  loving,  and  princely  father. 

*  *  *  *  *  ■  *  # 

It  was  a  sight  to  arrest  the  attention  of  any  man.  The  wand  of 
ages  was  waved  over  me,  and,  along  the  electric  chord,  imagination 
flashed  from  century  to  century,  until  the  Caesars  came  up  to  my 
view,  as  they  stood  in  the  presence  of  the  Romans.  And  then  I 
thought  of  that  distant  continent,  away  beyond  the  sea,  and  how  a 
new  Rome  was  rising  over  the  dim  waters.  And  then  I  thought  of 
the  little  morocco  case.     I  took  it  out  and  opened  it,  in  the   full 


A   BLIND   MINISTER.  261 

moonlight,  and  found  it  contained  a  massive  silver  medal,  bearing 
on  one  side  the  head  of  Pius  IX.  —  a  most  excellent  likeness  —  and 
on  the  other,  Peter  and  Paul,  in  the  form  of  the  statues  Pius  had 
erected  to  those  apostles  in  the  square  of  St.  Peter's.  In  anotlier 
box,  I  found  the  blessed  things  ;  they  were  four  medals  of  the  size 
of  luilf  a  dollar,  and  twelve  others  of  the  size  of  a  dime,  in  silver, 
with  one  hundred  and  forty-four  of  adulterated  metal ;  each  and 
all  containing  the  portrait  of  Pius,  and  the  emblems  of  the  Church 
of  Rome.     They  all  seemed  to  have  some  value  about  them,  far 

greater  than  it  cost  to  make  them. 

******* 

I  sat  for  a  long  time  in  my  window,  breathing  the  balmy  air  of 
spring,  in  a  dreamy,  delicious  trance  ;  and,  when  the  excitement  of 
these  new  feelings  subsided,  and  I  became  calm  on  my  pillow  —  so 
calm,  in  fact,  that  I  could  not  sleep  —  I  thought  again  of  all  these 
new  things,  and  I  could  not  believe  that  I  was  in  the  Rome,  either 
of  the  Popes  or  the  Caesars.  At  last  I  slept,  and  I  dreamed  a  sweet 
dream.  The  magnificent  palace  of  the  Quirinal,  with  its  gardens  and 
columns,  and  all  the  great  works  around  Monte  Cavallo,  were  sleep- 
ing in  the  moonlight,  in  full  view  of  my  window.  It  was  the  last 
scene  I  looked  on  before  I  put  out  the  candle.  It  rested  on  my  fancy. 
In  my  dream,  fair-winged,  classic  forms  went  flying  and  tripping  and 
lighting  cheerfully  along  an  immense  evergreen  continuous  wreath, 
that  hung  in  the  air,  from  my  chamber  window  to  the  Quirinal,  and 
I  felt  a  stream  of  light  coming,  calmly  and  steadily,  into  my  heart, 
as  we  feel  a  cool  breeze  through  a  window  in  the  country,  on  a 
warm  summer's  night,  after  a  dusty  and  weary  day.  I  could  hardly 
tell  when  I  went  to  sleep  or  when  I  woke.  I  did  not  know,  in  fact, 
whether  I  really  did  sleep.  I  was  so  calm  and  happy  that  I  lay  in 
a  dreamy  reverie,  from  which  I  almost  feared  to  stir.  It  did  not 
seem  to  me  that  I  was  in  Rome. 

The  next  morning  (the  25th  of  March,  1848),  the  sun  came  up 
clear,  warm,  and  genial,  over  the  Campanian  fields,  which  stretch 
fiir  away  to  the  southeast  of  Rome,  and  the  great  city  around  me 
was  reposing  as  calmly  at  that  hour  as  though  Rome  had  not  yet 
heard  that  the  strangest  and  mightiest  revolution  of  the  century 
was  convulsing  Europe.  The  last  thirty  days  had  been  the  most 
wonderful  month  Europe  had  ever  seen.  Before  the  inroUing  tide 
of  revolution,  thrones  had  been  submerged  and  dynasties  swept 


262  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

away.    Day  by  day,  and  hour  by  hour,  the  fall  of  kingdoms  had 
been  striking  on  the  ear,  like  avalanches  from  Alpine  summits. 

On  the  24th  of  February,  the  throne  of  the  Bourbons  went 
down,  and  Louis  Philippe  fled  in  terror  from  the  land  of  his  fathers. 
The  magic  watchword,  Vive  la  Republique,  first  uttered  from  the 
steps  of  the  Hotel  de  Ville,  was  caught  up  by  thirty-five  millions 
of  people,  and  the  tri-color  of  Napoleon  waved  over  the  ruins  of  a 
departed  dynasty. 

******** 

Italy  had  already  been  nearly  two  years  struggling,  like  Laocoon 
in  the  folds  of  the  serpent.  The  shouts  from  France  went  through 
the  Peninsula,  and  fired  the  blood  of  her  people  ;  and  the  last  des- 
perate effort  was  put  forth  by  which  she  made  herself  free. 

It  was  no  longer  possible  to  resist  the  demands  of  his  people,  nor 
was  it  with  a  begrudging  hand  nor  a  cold  heart,  that  Leopold©,  the 
grand  duke,  gave  a  constitution  to  Tuscany.  Its  proclamation 
illuminated  every  hamlet  for  many  nights  in  succession,  and  made 
every  city  of  old  Etruria  frantic  with  joy. 

******* 

Charles  Albert  felt  his  throne  heaving  under  him  ;  the  crisis  he 
had  looked  for,  at  last  came,  and  the  pale  king  was  impatiently 
walking  his  crimson  room,  waiting,  as  he  had  for  two  sleepless 
nights,  the  return  of  his  courier  from  Rome  with  the  answer  of 
Pius  IX.,  whom  he  had  requested  to  absolve  him  from  the  oath, 
which  he  had  taken  years  before,  never  to  grant  a  constitution  to 
his  people.  At  last,  the  feet  of  the  courier's  horse  rang  through 
the  court-yard  of  his  palace  ;  the  king  rushed  to  the  balcony,  and 
the  Pope's  dispatch,  in  these  words,  was  put  into  his  hands  :  "  For 
an  oath  between  man  and  God,  there  can  be  no  absolution.  An 
oath  which  a  king  makes  against  his  people,  God  does  not  accept ; 
Charles  Albert  is  absolved,  therefore,  from  his  oath  ;  let  him  not 
sacrifice  his  people  to  Austria." 

*******' 

The  constitution  of  the  Sardinian  kingdom  had  already  been  pre- 
pared. All  Turin  and  half  the  kingdom  had  seen  Charles  Albert's 
courier  flying  on  his  foaming  horse  to  the  gates  of  the  capitol ;  a 
hundred  thousand  Piedmontese  gathered  in  the  great  square  of  the 
royal  palace,  and  the  haggard  king  went  on  his  balcony,  and  uttered 
that  single  word  —  Constitution.  The  shouts  of  that  vast  multi- 
tude rang  from  the  passes  of  the  Alps  to  the  banks  of  the  Ticino,  in 


A  BLIND   MINISTER,  263 

the  vale  of  Lombardy.  Thus  another  Italian  kingdom  —  another 
absolute  monarchy,  with  five  millions  of  people,  and  a  hundred 
thousand  armed  men  vy heeled  into  the  ranks  of  liberated  nations. 

The  longest  and  the  fiercest  struggle  had  been  in  Naples  and 
Sicily.  There,  nine  millions  were  bleeding  under  the  most  brutal 
despotism  modern  Europe  has  witnessed.  The  achievement  of  their 
independence  had  already  cost  them  more  blood  than  was  spilled 
during  the  whole  American  revolution.  At  last,  the  cry  of  inde- 
pendence went  over  the  island  of  Sicily,  and  the  song  of  vic- 
tory was  caught  up  from  the  distant  mountain-tops  of  Calabria. 
The  brightest  jewel  had  fallen  from  the  croAvn  of  Ferdinand.  The 
following  day,  the  news  reached  Naples,  and  struck  the  death-knell 
of  Bourbon  despotism.  Ferdinand  could  trifle  with  his  people  no 
longer ;  he  must  bend  or  break.  Del  Caretto,  one  of  the  bloodiest 
and  most  beastly  hangmen  Naples  has  had,  still  swayed  the  king. 
Naples  was  giving  the  king  time  to  think.  Every  man  stood  by  his 
arms,  waiting  the  signal.  The  streets  were  deserted.  A  murky 
air  seemed  to  hang  over  the  city,  and  an  ominous  silence  every  where 
prevailed,  resembling  one  of  those  mornings  that  have  from  age  to 
age  preceded  the  eruptions  of  Vesuvius. 

******* 

All  was  expectation.  The  shot  of  a  pistol,  or  the  waving  of  a 
tri-color,  was  enough  to  begin  the  revolution.  Two  young  men 
with  umbrellas,  one  red  and  the  other  green,  tied  together  by  a 
V7hite  handkerchief,  making  the  Italian  tri-color,  walked  firmly  and 
rapidly  down  the  deserted  via  Toledo.  The  population  rushed  from 
their  houses  with  the  shouts,  Viva  Pio  Nino !  Viva  la  Constitutione  ! 
those  words  that  had  become  the  countersign  and  the  war-song 
of  the  Italians.  As  the  procession  moved  on,  following  the  tri 
color,  bouquets  of  flowers  and  cockades,  which  it  had  been  death  to 
keep  in  their  houses,  rained  down  from  every  window.  In  half  an 
hour,  the  procession  had  swelled  to  two  hundred  thousand,  and  was 
passing  around  the  palace.  Their  shouts  and  cries  penetrated  the 
recesses  of  that  stately  pile,  and  struck  on  the  ear  of  tlie  cowardly 
king.  "  The  Constitution  !  The  Constitution  !  Death  to  Del  Ca- 
retto !  death  to  Del  Caretto,  and  thus  live  Ferdinand  our  king!  " 
were  shouted  by  the  infuriated  myriads. 

******* 

The  king  and  all  the  royal  family  were  gathered  in  the  principal 


264  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

saloon.  Ferdinand,  who  saw  that  his  only  salvation  lay  in  yielding 
to  an  irresistible  demand,  cast  himself  on  a  sofa,  and  the  sweat 
rolled  in  streams  from  his  face.  The  shouts  of  the  people,  which 
had  ceased  for  a  moment,  like  a  retreating  wave,  gathering  strength 
for  a  deeper  and  a  darker  flow,  now  surged  up  wilder  around  the 
palace.  The  members  of  the  royal  family,  and  the  ministers  of  the 
throne,  were  at  the  feet  of  Ferdinand,  imploring  him,  with  tears, 
to  save  himself  and  his  country  by  granting  a  constitution,  and 
sending  Del  Caretto  into  exile. 

"  Let  it  be,"  said  the  king,  as  he  sprang  to  his  feet.  "  Give  me 
a  tri-color.  Open  the  windows,  and  send  for  Del  Caretto,"  rapidly 
passed  his  lips.  He  seized  the  flag,  and,  rushing  to  the  balcony, 
pronounced  two  words  he  had  never  uttered  before  — ' '  Viva  la  Con- 
stitutione!  Viva  Pio  Nino  !  "  and  he  waved  the  signal,  as  the  deaf- 
ening, maddening  cry  of  Naples  went  up  to  heaven. 

Another  kingdom  of  nine  millions  had  wheeled  in  under  the 
standard  of  Pius  IX.,  and  the  revolution  of  Naples  was  ended. 

Towards  noon,  on  the  25th  of  March,  a  courier  came  into  Rome, 
on  a  fine  Lombard  horse  (that  fell  dead  as  he  passed  the  gates  of  the 
city) ,  with  the  news  that  Charles  Albert  had  marched  into  Lom- 
bardy  with  sixty  thousand  men  ;  that  the  viceroy  had  fled  from 
^Milan  ;  that  the  revolution  had  broken  out  in  Vienna  ;  that  Metter- 
nich,  after  dissolving  the  diet  of  Hungary,  had  fled  to  England ;  and 
that  the  Emperor  of  Austria,  a  prisoner  in  his  palace,  had  pro- 
claimed a  constitution  for  the  empire  !  No  words  can  describe  the 
scenes  which  I  witnessed  in  Rome  on  that  day.  The  tri-color  was 
now  floating  from  the  borders  of  France  on  the  Atlantic  to  the  cap- 
itals beyond  the  Danube,  and  from  the  shores  of  the  German  ocean 
to  the  farthest  point  of  Calabria. 

The  army  of  the  Pope,  and  twelve  thousand  of  the  national 
guards,  had  taken  their  banners  to  the  palace  of  the  pontiflf,  before 
they  started  for  Lombardy,  to  join  the  army  of  Charles  Albert  on 
the  banks  of  the  Po,  and  Pius  IX.  had  pronounced  upon  those  ban- 
ners liis  apostolical  benediction,  and  cheered  their  battalions  as  they 
filed  before  the  Quirinal,  on  the  crusade  for  tlie  liberation  of  Italy. 
As  in  the  times  of  Peter  the  Hermit,  twenty  thousand  men  had 
gathered  in  the  Coliseum,  and  there,  with  the  cross  of  Christ  over 
their  heads,  a  priest  of  Rome  had  made  them  all  swear  not  to 


A   BLIND   MINISTER.  265 

return  to  the  Eternal  City  until  they  had  driven  the  barbarian  be- 
yond the  Tyrol. 

This  was  the  most  sudden,  sublime,  and  irresistible  movement  of 
nations  that  has  yet  been  recorded  in  history.  It  paralyzed  des- 
potism ;  it  annihilated  absolutism  ;  it  everywhere  inspired  the  hopes 
of  the  despairing,  and  it  commanded  the  respect  of  the  world. 

I  repose  a  moment  in  the  relation  of  events.  IIow  often,  while 
I  was  wandering  throngli  the  ruins  of  ancient  Rome,  did  I  regret 
that  I  had  not  taken  my  family  with  me,  perilous  as  the  journey 
had  seemed  for  the  tender,  the  gentle,  and  the  young.  I  fancy 
that  events  of  far  less  consequence  than  a  visit  to  Rome,  and 
particularly  at  such  a  time,  occurred  in  my  own  childhood,  which 
have  left  their  impress  upon  my  recollection  forever  —  mould- 
ing my  character,  guiding  my  thoughts,  and  tinging  my  associations. 
How  glad  I  should  have  been  to  have  taken  my  boy  up  to  the 
Capitoline  Hill,  and  shown  him,  on  the  one  side,  the  ruins  of 
the  Forum,  the  vast  Tumuli  which  now  mark  the  Golden  House  of 
the  Caesars,  with  the  Campagna  stretching  away  in  the  distance ; 
and  on  the  other  side,  a  vast  city,  beating  with  the  pulsations 
of  nearly  half  a  million  of  men,  seeming  like  wanderers  through 
the  tombs  of  a  departed  empire !  To  have  led  him  through  the 
solitary  area  of  the  Coliseum,  under  the  arch  of  Constantino,  and 
through  the  gateway  of  Titus  ;  to  have  had  him  lay  his  little  hand 
upon  the  sacred  form  of  Romulus,  as  he  lies  sucking  that  half- 
wolf  mother ;  to  have  seen  him  measure  the  agony  of  the  dying 
gladiator,  and  stand  awed  by  the  majesty  of  Caesar's  brow,  f  think 
I  could  have  impressed  upon  him,  eternally,  the  history  of  the 
Roman  Empire,  during  a  few  days  among  such  scenes,  where  its 
memorials  seem  themselves  immortal,  defying,  as  they  have,  the 
wasting  hand  of  time,  and  the  spoil  of  ages. 

Ever  with  the  deepest  affection, 

C.  Edwards  Lester 

Mr.  Lester's  admiration  of  the  Pope  was  perfectly 
natural  and  excusable  at  the  time.      All  the   move- 
ments of  Pio  Nino  up  to  that  time  had  been  on  the 
23 


266  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

liberal  side.  His  words  and  measures  had  all  been  in 
the  same  direction ;  and  Mr.  L.'s  admiration  was  par- 
ticipated in  by  multitudes  of  his  countrymen  at  home. 
Popular  meetings  were  held  in  several  of  the  cities, 
and  resolutions  of  the  most  enthusiastic  admiration 
for  the  pontiff  were  adopted  and  transmitted  to  Eome. 
The  most  unbounded  applause  was  lavished  upon  the 
Pope  in  all  quarters  of  our  country.  Great  senators 
in  Congress  pronounced  him  the  prince  of  liberty,  and 
declared  him  to  be  doing  more  for  the  cause  of  free- 
dom than  any  other  man  on  the  earth.  The  dream  was 
extensively  indulged  here,  as  well  as  by  Mr.  L.,  that 
despotism  had  received  its  deathblow.  In  the  short- 
ness of  human  foresight,  the  treachery  and  retrograde 
movements  of  Pio  Nino  to  despotism  could  not  be 
foreseen,  and,  in  our  enthusiastic  love  of  liberty,  we 
could  not  bring  our  minds  to  believe  that  a  re-ac- 
tionary  movement  in  Europe  would  reinstate  her 
gloomy  despotisms. 

Mr.  L.,  in  a  letter  written  sometime  after  the  above, 
remarks :  "  I  have  thought  of  my  interview  with  the 
Pope  many  a  day  since ;  but  the  sad  drapery  of  disap- 
pointed hopes  has  been  thrown  like  a  pall  over  those 
golden  moments." 

In  September,  1850,1  was  attacked  with  the  typhoid 
fever.  Sickness  is  a  melancholy  but  inseparable  part  of 
the  system  of  life.  I  had  been  wonderfully  exempted 
from  this  calamity  heretofore ;  but  I  had  seen  a  great 
deal  of  it  in  the  course  of  my  pastoral  duties.  Almost 
every  day  my  steps  had  been  bent  to  the  bedside  of  sick- 
ness :  perhaps  it  has  seldom  happened  that  a  minister 
has  visited  more  sick  persons.  The  range  of  country  I 
beat  over  was  very  large,  and  I  was  often  sent  for 


A  BLIND  MINISTER.  267 

from  a  distance  to  visit  the  sick.  But  my  famil- 
iarity with  sickness  never  diminished  my  dread  of  it, 
or  my  sympathy  with  the  sufferer.  I  never  met  a  sick 
person  without  feeling  the  sincerest  sorrow  for  him. 
I  had  seen  much  medical  practice,  and  read  many  med- 
ical books,  and  knew  something  of  the  healing  art 
myself  I  was  often  consulted  in  regard  *to  the  physi- 
cal ailments  of  the  patient,  but  I  was  always  scrupulous 
not  to  interfere  with  the  province  of  the  physician, 
and  I  applied  my  ministerings  to  the  "  mind  diseased," 
which  often  exerts  a  controlling  influence  over  the 
physical  system.     Thousands  have  looked  to  me  to 


minister  to  a  mind  diseased  ; 


Pluck  from  the  memory  a  rooted  sorrow  ; 
Kaze  out  the  written  troubles  of  the  brain  ; 
And,  with  some  sweet  oblivious  antidote, 
Cleanse  the  stuffed  bosom  of  that  perilous  stuff, 
Which  weighs  upon  the  heart." 

'  But,  with  lips  imbued  with  the  preciousness  of  re- 
deeming blood,  I  have  not  been  compelled  to  render 
back  the  answer  of  Macbeth's  physician:  "Therein 
the  patient  must  minister  to  himself;"  but,  with  God^s 
help,  I  have  undertaken  to  minister  to  the  sad  spirit 
the  balm  of  Gilead,  and  have  often  been  the  delighted 
observer  of  its  healing  and  cheering  effect. 

The  malady  with  which  I  was  attacked  was  the  first 
acute  sickness  with  which  I  had  ever  been  visited ; 
but  my  disease  now  was  full  of  danger  and  distress. 
My  friends  and  medical  attendants  entertained  the 
most  alarming  apprehensions  in  regard  to  the  issue  of 
my  illness ;  but  the  providence  of  God  surrounded 
me  with  a  thousand  appliances,  to  mitigate  pain  and 
lessen  the  violence  of  disease.     My  friends  did  all 


268  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

that  it  was  possible  for  human  beings  to  achieve.  My 
wife  hung  over  me  like  a  ministering  angel,  night  and 
day,  and  my  mother-in-law  was  most  assiduous  and 
skilful  in  her  attentions.  I  had  a  number  of  excellent 
physicians,  who  exhausted  upon  me  all  the  resources 
of  medical  skill,  and  I  can  never  be  sufficiently  grate- 
ful for  the  interest  my  friends  took  in  my  recovery. 
My  church  held  several  prayer-meetings,  to  supplicate 
healing  mercies  from  Heaven,  and  several  churches  in 
our  Presbytery  held  meetings  for  prayer  on  my  ac- 
count. Our  Presbytery,  at  its  stated  meeting,  which 
occurred  during  my  illness,  set  apart  a  season  for 
special  prayer  for  my  recovery,  and  my  case  was  men- 
tioned at  a  devotional  meeting  held  by  the  Albany 
Synod,  and  I  was  earnestly  and  largely  remembered  in 
all  the  exercises  of  the  occasion.  If  any  man's  re- 
covery was  ever  brought  about  in  answer  to  prayer, 
I  am  sure  mine  was. 

I  will  here  state  a  circumstance  connected  with  my 
sickness,  which  seemed  to  me  remarkable.  Fevers  of 
the  typhoid  type  produce  a  great  variety  of  effects 
upon  the  mind  of  the  patient.  My  mind  was  driven 
into  unwonted  activity.  My  memory  was  particularly 
affected,  and  made  strangely  retentive  of  former  im- 
pressions. I  experienced  an  illustration  of  the  theory 
which  has  been  advanced  by  many  writers  on  mental 
philosophy.  The  theory  is,  that  the  memory  loses 
nothing,  but  that  ^4t  retains,  and  may  re-produce, 
when  the  right  string  is  touched,  every  thought,  im- 
pression, and  event  of  our  whole  past  lives."  "  Sick- 
ness produces  unusual  forms  of  consciousness,  and 
often  furnishes  demonstrations  of  this  theory.  In 
these  unwonted  conditions  of  mind,  it  has  been  found 


A   BLIND   MINISTER.  269 

that  the  most  itiinute  and  remote  circumstances,  com- 
plex trains  of  thought,  have  been  recalled  after  an 
interval  of  years,  and  have  flooded  the  soul  with  its 
rememberings.  In  our  usual  state  of  mind,  things  do 
not  indeed  recur  to  us  on  call,  nor  yet  do  they  come 
at  once  when  sought,  but  obey  certain  laws  of  sug- 
gestion and  association,  which  retard  the  action  of  the 
memory,  as  the  balance-wheel  does  the  movements  of 
a  watch.  But,  in  the  moments  of  consciousness  now 
referred  to,  the  balance-wheel  is  taken  off,  the  usual 
laws  of  suggestion  and  association  are  suspended,  and 
the  full  flow  of  memory  sweeps  on  unobstructed  and 
unhindered  by  the  usual  laws  of  association ;  and  the 
whole  past  rushes  spontaneously  upon  the  mind,  fore- 
shadowing the  day  when  death  will  snap  asunder  the 
earth-spun  threads  of  association,  and  pour  the  accu- 
mulated treasures  of  the  past  into  the  lap  of  the  un- 
bounded future.  We  can  all  verify  this  in  our  own 
experience.  When  we  go  back  to  the  scenes  of  early 
life,  from  which  we  have  been  absent  a  succession  of 
years,  what  intensely  vivid  remembrances  take  shape, 
hue,  and  voice.  The  faces  and  tones  of  the  long-for- 
gotten, the  very  trees  and  stones,  bring  back  the  prat- 
tle and  the  day-dreams  of  infancy.  Every  evanescent 
thought  and  feeling  will  be  recalled,  and  we  find  our- 
selves again  children.  There  is  not  a  reverie  that  ever 
passed  through  our  minds,  nor  a  dream  that  ever 
haunted  our  pillows,  which  is  gone  beyond  return. 
Very  often,  in  the  path  of  life,  isolated  facts,  fragments 
of  conversation,  bring  back  floating  images  of  ancient 
and  forgotten  things,  and  they  rise  before  us  like  the 
ghosts  of  the  unburied.  The  past  never  dies."  We 
read  in  the  Scriptures :  "  God  requireth  that  which  is 
23* 


270  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OP 

past ; "  and  we  all  shall  require  it  of.memory,  "  and 
memory  will  render  up  its  treasures,  good  and  evil." 
''  Under  the  pressure  of  sickness,  the  key  to  memory 
is  often  lost ;  and,  without  the  power  of  choice,  we 
are  liable  to  inundations  of  the  bitter  and  sweet  of 
the  past,  promiscuously.'^ 

In  my  severe  illness,  I  remembered  things  which 
had  not  occurred  to  me  for  years.  Reveries  of  thought, 
conversations  with  friends,  lessons  once  got  by  heart 
and  forgotten,  masses  of  classic  composition  which 
were  familiar  to  me  in  my  youth,  all  came  in  upon 
me  like  an  overwhelming  flood.  I  remembered  vol- 
umes in  an  hour.  The  activity  of  my  mind  was 
terrible  and  incredible ;  and  one  result  that  has 
surprised  me,  is  the  fact,  that  these  long-buried  treas- 
ures of  my  memory  are  still,  to  some  extent,  present 
with  me.  Since  my  sickness,  I  remember  a  vast  many 
things  which,  without  it,  would  probably  never  have 
occurred  to  me  during  life.  These  mental  phenom- 
ena I  am  glad  here  to  state,  as  they  may  throw  some 
light  upon  the  laws  of  mind. 

My  sickness,  though  severe,  was  not  of  very  long 
duration.  It  confined  me  to  my  room  about  seven 
weeks.  In  eight  weeks  from  my  attack,  I  returned  to 
my  pulpit.  On  the  first  of  January,  my  congregation 
made  a  donation  visit  at  my  house,  which  was  numer- 
ously attended  and  characterized  by  every  demonstra- 
tion of  kindness.  In  the  course  of  the  evening,  the 
following  letter,  with  its  contents,  was  placed  in  my 
hand : 


A    BLIND    MINISTER.  271 

Spencektown,  January  1,  1851. 
To  THE  Rev.  Dr.  Woodbridge  : 

Dear  Sir, — The  undersigned  take  this  occasion,  the  beginning 
of  the  new  year,  to  offer  their  congratulations  for  your  recovery 
from  a  recent  and  protracted  illness,  and  your  restoration  to  health, 
to  your  family,  friends,  and  society.  We  do  most  earnestly  invoke 
for  you  and  yours  Heaven's  choicest  blessings  —  long  life,  great 
prosperity,  uninterrupted  health,  and  happiness. 

Please  accept  the  enclosed,  sixty-four  dollars,  as  a  small  token  of 
our  regard  and  esteem. 

Respectfully  yours. 

The  above  letter  was  signed  by  C.  B.  Dutcher,  E. 
Reed,  and  most  of  the  other  members  of  the  con- 
gregation. 

I  resumed  the  labors  of  a  pastor  quite  too  soon. 
I  plunged  into  intense  exertion,  when  I  was  but  par- 
tially recovered,  and  my  exertions  affected,  tempora- 
rily, my  nervous  system.  It  was  painful  and  exhausting 
to  stand  up  in  a  pulpit,  which  was  too  elevated  for  the 
comfort  of  any  preacher,  and  deliver,  from  memory, 
two  or  three  sermons  in  a  day.  My  labors,  through 
the  remainder  of  that  winter,  were  performed  with 
unmitigated  strenuousness,  but  they  were  a  severe 
experiment  upon  my  frame.  As  the  spring  approached, 
1  began  to  think  seriously  of  resigning  my  charge. 
I  had  sustained  the  accumulated  responsibilities  of 
the  pastoral  oflSce  for  thirty-six  years  ;  and  I  believed 
that  my  recent  recovery  from  sickness,  joined  to  my 
protracted  labors,  demanded  some  repose,  and  the 
benefit  of  travel.  I  made  a  request  to  my  congrega- 
tion, to  consent  to  my  resignation.  They  treated  me 
on  the  occasion  with  the  utmost  possible  delicacy, 
kindness,  and  respect.  They  refused,  at  the  first 
meeting,  to  accede  to    my  request,  yet   assured  me, 


272  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

that,  should  I  deem  it  my  duty  to  persist  in  that  re- 
quest, they  would,  when  I  should  call  another  meeting, 
comply  with  my  wishes.  The  second  meeting  was 
called ;  my  request  was  reiterated,  and  the  congrega- 
tion, with  great  tenderness  and  the  most  respectful 
assurances,  passed  a  resolve  to  comply  with  my 
wishes ;  and  I  called  a  special  meeting  of  the  Pres- 
bytery, to  give  me  leave  to  resign  my  charge,  and 
consummate  the  measures  which  I  had  put  in  train. 
After  the  action  of  Presbytery,  as  a  mark  of  confi- 
dence and  respect,  they  placed  in  my  hands  the  fol- 
lowing minute : 

The  Columbia  Presbytery,  having  this  day  dissolved  the  pastoral 
relation  between  the  Rev.  Timothy  "Woodbridge,  D.  D.,  and  the 
congregation  of  Spencer  town,  are  desirous  of  bearing  an  honorable 
and  heartfelt  testimony,  in  concurrence  with  the  congregation,  to 
the  worth,  eminence,  and  acceptableness  of  Dr.  "Woodbridge,  as  a 
minister  of  the  gospel.  Dr.  W.  was  one  of  the  original  members 
of  this  Presbytery,  and  has  been  an  active,  useful,  and  devoted 
pastor  within  our  bounds  between  thirty  and  forty  years.  The 
smile  of  the  Great  Head  of  the  church  has  rested  upon  his  labors, 
and  the  favor  of  the  churches  and  congregations  has  greeted  him 
wherever  he  has  bent  his  steps.  We  commend  him  to  the  confidence 
and  affection  of  the  churches  of  our  Lord  Jesus,  wherever  he  may 
travel  or  sojourn,  as  an  able,  faithful,  and  eloquent  preacher  of  the 
gospel,  and  minister  of  the  cross  of  Christ. 

Done  at  the  meeting  of  Presbytery,  at  Spencertown,  April  22, 
1851. 

Theodore  S.  Browx,  Clerk. 

On  the  same  day,  the  congregation  unanimously 
adopted  the  following  resolutions,  which  were  placed 
in  my  hands  by  a  Committee : 

Whereas,  at  a  meeting  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Society  of  the 
town  of  Austerlitz,  held  at  their  house  of  worship  on  the  22d  day 


A  BLIND   MINISTER.  273 

• 

of  April,  1851,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Timothy  Woodbridge,  their  pastor,  ap- 
peared in  person,  and  requested  of  said  society  (after  the  assignment 
of  his  reasons  therefor)  their  concurrence  with  him,  in  an  applica- 
tion to  the  Columbia  Presbytery,  for  permission  to  resign  his  pasto- 
rate, it  was 

Resolved,  That  the  society  receive  with  deep  regret  the  request 
of  their  beloved  pastor  for  their  concurrence  in  his  application  to 
the  Presbytery,  for  permission  to  resign  his  pastoral  charge.  That 
the  connection  existing  between  this  society  and  the  Rev.  Dr.  Timo- 
thy Woodbridge  has  been  one  of  extraordinary  tranquillity,  happi- 
ness, and  prosperity  to  this  society.  That  this  society  bear  Avitnesa 
with  pleasure  and  gratification,  to  the  faithfulness,  assiduity,  and 
Christian  fortitude  with  which  their  said  pastor  has,  for  eight  and 
one-half  years,  under  many  circumstances  of  discouragement,  dis- 
charged the  responsible  and  arduous  labors  of  his  pastorate  ;  and 
that  this  society,  being  satisfied  of  the  sufficiency  of  the  causes 
assigned  by  the  said  Dr.  Woodbridge,  do  hereby  concur  with  him 
in  an  application  to  the  Presbytery,  and  pray  that  his  resignation 
may  be  assented  to. 

Resolved,  That  this  society  tender  to  the  Rev.  Timothy  Woodbridge 
their  unabated  attachment  and  consideration,  for  the  many  offices 
of  love  and  kindness  that,  as  a  social  community,  and  a  religious 
society,  they  have  received  at  his  hands  ;  and  that  they  ardently 
pray  that,  whether  in  retirement,  or  in  the  public  service  of  his 
Master,  a  long  life  of  uninterrupted  health,  happiness,  and  pros- 
perity may  be  measured  out  to  him  and  his  much-loved  family. 

W.  C.  Bailey,  Secretary,  ;)ro  iem. 

I  considered  that  I  was  now  honorably  discharged 
from  the  pastorate ;  and  the  burden  of  the  respon- 
sibilities and  anxieties,  inseparable  from  that  re- 
lation, which  had  weighed  down  my  spirit,  now  slid 
from  my  mind,  and  I  breathed  and  felt  freer.  I  had 
sustained  the  pastoral  office  between  thirty  and  forty 
years,  with  its  thraldom  and  its  pleasures,  and  it 
will  not  seem  strange  that  my  heart  had  begun  to 
yearn  for  this  new  position  which  1  now  occupied. 
Our  Presbytery,  at  its  stated  meeting  this  spring,  ap- 


274  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OP 

pointed  me  Commissioner  to  the  General  Assembly  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church  (New  School),  which  was  to 
assemble  at  Utica.  As  I  had  but  yet  imperfectly  re- 
covered my  health,  my  friends  felt  great  solicitude  in 
regard  to  my  encountering  these  new  scenes  of  labor, 
and  they  begged  of  me  to  avoid  onerous  duties  in  the 
Assembly.  But  I  repaired  to  that  body,  with  a  fixed 
purpose  not  to  seek  any  promotion,  or  decline  any 
duty  which  fairly  came  to  me.  My  wife  accompanied 
me  to  Utica,  to  minister  to  me,  and  particularly  to 
guard  my  health,  and  well  did  she  perform  her  sacred 
office. 

My  drawings,  at  the  separation  of  the  great  Pres- 
byterian bod}^,  had  been  rather  towards  the  Old  School, 
though  I  highly  disapproved  of  many  of  the  measures 
of  the  Old  School  section,  particularly  their  excinding 
acts,  which  were  brought  about  principally  by  the 
agency  of  young  men  in  the  Assembly,  who  drove  the  car 
of  the  church,  Jehu-like,  down  the  streets  of  Jerusalem. 
Our  Presbytery  were  about  equally  divided  in  regard  to 
the  two  bodies  into  which  the  Presbyterian  church  was 
spht ;  but  we  resolved  to  keep  together,  for  we 
thought  it  more  important  to  preserve  our  integrity, 
and  cultivate  our  own  vineyard  in  peace,  than  to 
form  any  particular  external  relation.  With  these 
views,  we  declined,  for  two  or  three  years,  acting  upon 
our  relations  to  the  General  Assembly,  and  preferred 
waiting  for  more  light  from  the  providence  of  God, 
before  we  took  a  definite  course.  After  occupying 
a  neutral  position  for  a  few  years,  an  appeal  was  made 
to  Synod.  This  appeal  we  could  not  refuse,  and  were 
constrained  to  go  to  the  New  School  Albany  Synod. 
We  felt  less  repugnance  to  this  connection  than  we 


A   BLIND   MINISTER.  'Zib 

should  have  done  at  an  carUcr  period  of  the  separa- 
tion. The  New  School  body,  for  two  or  three  years, 
had  a  great  many  excrescences  which  were  not  to  our 
taste.  But  the  church  was  gradually  casting  off  these 
excrescences,  and  becoming  more  conservative.  The 
preponderating  counsels  in  the  New  School  church 
were  displaying  more  wisdom  and  better  taste  than 
in  the  beginning  of  their  history.  On  mingling  with 
the  Assembly,  I  was  gratified  with  its  appearance.  1 
found  there  a  body  of  excellent  men.  I  perceived 
that  the  leading  and  controlling  men  were  highly  con- 
servative. Indeed,  the  majority  of  the  Assembly  went 
beyond  me  in  their  exclusiveness.  The  church  was 
becoming,  in  spirit  and  policy,  a  good  deal  assimilated 
to  the  Old  School  section.  Important  and  responsible 
appointments  were  given  to  me  by  the  Assembly,  at 
an  early  stage  of  its  sittings ;  and,  indeed,  I  was  con- 
strained to  work  hard,  in  committee  and  in  public, 
through  the  entire  session. 

When  the  appointments  were  made  out  for  the  first 
Sabbath,  I  was  announced  by  the  committee,  and  con- 
firmed by  the  Assembly,  as  preacher  to  the  General 
Assembly,  the  next  Sabbath  morning,  at  the  First 
Presbyterian  church.  I  turned  pale  at  this  appoint- 
ment, and  felt  a  degree  of  awe  at  performing  the 
service  of  so  elevated  and  responsible  a  position. 
We  had  a  vast  assemblage  of  learned  and  able  minis- 
ters, and  a  great  congregation  of  the  people.  A 
gracious  Providence  gave  me  the  most  entire  self- 
command,  and  an  unwonted  fluency.  We  had  in  this 
Assembly  not  many  giants,  but  we  had  a  great  number 
of  able  men,  and  the  average  talent  and  character  of 
the  Assembly  was  decidedly  respectable,  and  indeed 


276    -  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

elevated.  We  had,  as  might  be  expected,  particularly 
from  the  far  West,  a  portion  of  radical  men.  There 
was  an  underground  swell  of  radicalism,  but  it  was 
not  permitted  to  send  up  many  turbulent  waves.  We 
had  two  exciting  subjects  before  the  Assembly,  which 
received  a  great  deal  of  discussion,  and  elicited  deep 
feelings.  The  first  was  the  slavery  question.  I  was 
on  the  committee  to  whom  the  petitions  and  other 
papers  on  that  subject  were  referred.  After  reading, 
and  diligently  considering  them,  we  drew  up  our  re- 
port, which  was  presented  to  the  Assembly.  We  con- 
gratulated the  church  upon  the  comparative  quiet 
that  prevailed  in  regard  to  that  exciting  matter,  and 
recommended  that  the  Assembly  take  no  farther  action 
on  the  subject.  This  report,  we  supposed,  would 
meet  with  strenuous  opposition,  but  would,  after  dis- 
cussion, prevail  by  a  great  majority.  Our  report  was 
read  and  printed,  and  produced  an  eloquent  and  spir- 
ited debate,  but  was  adopted  by  an  overwhelming 
vote.  The  other  great  subject,  which  took  up  very 
much  time,  was  church  extension.  On  this  subject  I 
perceived  there  was  a  good  deal  of  high-church  feel- 
ing. I  was  on  the  committee  to  whom  the  subject 
was  referred.  We  had  one  on  the  committee  from  each 
Synod.  I  represented  the  Albany  Synod.  I  per- 
ceived, in  that  committee,  a  good  deal  of  high-church- 
ism.  There  was  in  some  members  of  the  committee, 
and  in  many  individuals  of  the  Assembly,  a  disposition 
to  press  the  claims  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  with- 
out a  proper  consideration  of  the  interests  of  our 
Congregational  brethren.  Our  first  inquiry  in  the 
committee  was,  What  is  church  extension?  My  opin- 
ion was,  that  we  were  to  devise  and  report  some  plan 


A  BLIND  MINISTER.  277 

for  the  extension  of  the  visible  kingdom  of  the  Re- 
deemer through  the  continent  to  the  Pacific  ocean. 
Others  thought  that  the  object  of  church  exten- 
sion was  to  stretch  the  Presbyterian  church  (New 
School)  over  the  continent.  Our  report  was  kind  in 
its  spirit,  and  liberal  in  its  scope,  and,  after  an  ani- 
mated discussion  for  two  or  three  days,  was  laid  over 
to  the  next  year. 

While  I  was  at  Utica,  I  was  exceedingly  active  and 
laborious,  and  bore  the  pressure  better  than  I  expected. 
I  returned  to  my  home  after  the  Assembly,  buoyant 
in  spirits  and  full  of  elasticity  and  health.  I  had  slept 
but  little,  for  my  nights  were  occupied  with  study,  as 
I  had  often  to  make  speeches  on  platforms,  and  in 
various  other  situations.  My  home  now  seemed  de- 
lightful to  me.  I  had  hied  once  more  to  my  peaceful 
dwelling,  and  here  I  was  not  visited  with  the  anxieties 
of  the  pastorate.  I  loved  my  former  congregation 
exceedingly,  and  they  were  affectionate  to  me.  The 
smile  of  God  seemed  to  rest  upon  us,  and  I  trust  my 
heart  was  full  of  thankfulness. 

In  July  I  went  to  Lebanon  Springs,  a  favorite  water- 
ing-place, which  I  had  been  in  the  habit  of  visiting 
for  many  years,  and  from  whose  healing  waters  I  had 
often  received  great  benefit  to  my  health.  During 
my  visit,  I  was  requested  by  a  number  of  gentlemen 
from  the  cities,  to  preach  on  Sabbath  evening.  This 
request  I  accepted.  Notices  were  posted  up  in  all 
the  conspicuous  places  of  the  establishment,  that  I 
should  preach  in  the  evening  in  the  saloon.  There 
had  been  no  preaching  there  for  more  than  twenty 
years.  I  had  a  crowded  and  attentive  audience,  and, 
in  the  following  week,  I  observed  several  notices  of 

24 


278  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

the  meeting  in  the  Boston  and  New  York  papers.  I 
will  here  make  a  short  extract  from  the  Journal  of 
Commerce,  printed  in  the  course  of  the  ensuing 
week: 

Columbia  Hall,  Lebanon  Springs,  July  27, 1851. 

We  have  had  an  extraordinary  evening  at  Lebanon  Springs. 
The  gathering  here  is  uncommonly  large.  We  have  visitors  from 
all  our  great  cities,  and  from  a  multitude  of  lesser  places  of  the 
country,  The  scenery  of  this  place  everybody  knows  or  ought  to 
know.  We  have  the  rich  and  beautiful  basin  of  Lebanon,  stretch- 
ing out  to  the  south-west  before  us  ;  mountain-hills  of  colossal 
magnitude  rise  in  the  north,  carrying  the  heart  and  the  fancy  bewil- 
dered to  Greylock,  that  overshadows  Williams  College.  Here, 
too,  is  that  curious  community  called  Shakers. 

Among  the  numerous  guests  here  at  Columbia  Hall  is  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Woodbridge,  of  Spencertown.  There  was  a  great  and  simul- 
taneous desire  to  hear  this  venerable  divine  preach.  The  guests 
of  the  Hall  assembled  universally.  A  sacred  orchestra  sprang 
up,  as  if  by  magic,  from  the  accomplished  multitude,  who  gave 
forth  most  beautiful  music.  A  lady  played  on  the  piano,  who  sus- 
tained the  pieces  with  great  skill  and  effect,  and  some  of  the  richest 
and  most  cultivated  voices  of  Boston,  New  York,  Philadelphia,  and 
other  cities,  were  recognized  in  the  choir,  distinguished  for  all  that 
is  chaste  and  elegant  in  the  operatic  school  of  music,  gracefully  and 
beautifully  chastened  by  the  solemnities  and  purities  of  the  Chris- 
tian religion,  and  the  associations  which  belong  to  "  the  house 
where  the  tribes  go  up  to  worship."  The  great  saloon,  which  was 
lighted  by  the  immense  chandelier,  was  filled  with  a  large  and  en- 
lightened audience,  and  the  vast  balcony  looking  off  to  the  south, 
and  the  halls  adjacent  to  the  saloon,  were  crowded  with  attentive 
and  earnest  listeners. 

Dr.  Woodbridge  came  from  a  village  eighteen  miles  distant,  to 
find  relaxation  and  health.  This  eminent  clergyman  was  born  in 
Stockbridge,  Mass.,  and  is  a  grandson  of  the  illustrious  President 
Edwards.  A  thousand  associations  crowded  in  upon  the  feelings 
of  every  enlightened  auditor.  Daniel  Webster,  in  his  glorious  ora- 
tion at  Washington,  on  the  extension  of  the  Capitol,  had  just  de- 
livered a  noble  encomium  upon  Edwards,  as  being  the  only  man  who 


A  BLIND   MINISTER.  279 

had  written  anything  of  permanent  interest  and  value  previous  to 
the  Revolution.  This  oration,  with  all  its  dignified  associations, 
pressed  into  the  memories  and  feelings  of  the  audience.  Under 
these  imposing  and  advantageous  circumstances,  Dr.  Woodbridge 
conducted  the  religious  services  in  the  great  saloon,  where  many 
years  have  rolled  by  since  a  similar  scene  has  been  enacted.  We 
found,  too,  during  the  tender  and  solemn  excitements  of  the  evening, 
another  very  impressive  and  eloquent  illustration  of  the  blessedness 
of  living  in  a  broad,  free,  glorious.  Christian  land,  where  the  religion 
of  Christ  has  by  voluntary  consent  become  tlio  religion  of  the  people, 
and  where  the  emblems  and  ordinances  of  Christianity  are  universally 
known  and  responded  to.  It  is  a  great  mistake  —  and  even  many 
clergymen  have  made  it  —  to  suppose  that,  because  our  scenes  of  fes- 
tivity and  rural  resort  and  relaxation  are  graced  by  elegant  manners 
and  the  refined  taste  of  the  upper  classes,  there  is  of  necessity,  or  in 
fact,  an  indifference  to  the  subject  of  religion,  and  the  celebration 
of  its  rites  and  services.  On  this  occasion,  it  was  manifest  to  every 
spectator,  that  the  first  summons  to  prayer  found  a  home  echo  in 
many  hearts,  and  throughout  the  evening  there  was  not  visible  a 
single  sign  which  did  not  seem  to  harmonize  with  the  touching  de- 
votion of  the  assembly.  Many  an  involuntary  sigh  was  heard,  and 
many  an  involuntary  tear  fell  in  graceful  tribute  to  the  eloquent 
simplicity,  and  classic  style,  and  purely  evangelical  views  of  the 
preacher.  It  was  refreshing,  even  to  those  who  only  listened  with 
the  intellect  —  to  scholars,  men  of  the  world,  and  men  of  taste  — 
to  hear  one  of  those  discourses  which  we  carry  about  in  our  mem- 
ories as  ideals  of  chaste  and  classic  eloquence  —  to  be  where  such  a 
discourse  was  pronounced.  But,  beyond  this,  it  was  evident  that  a 
large  portion  of  the  auditors  were  stirred  by  more  evangelical  and 
practically  Christian  sentiments.  We  bless  God  that  the  reign  of 
fashion  has  not  yet  shut  from  our  most  cultivated  assemblies  evan- 
gelical truth ;  and  every  reader  of  the  chaste  lyrics  of  the  English 
language  recalls  with  delight  not  only  the  verses  but  the  spirit  of 
Cowper,  in  which  he  so  touchingly  treats  this  subject. 

It  was  a  spectacle  not  often  witnessed  in  any  country  or  in  any 
age,  to  see  a  clergyman  long  bereft  of  sight,  addressing  one  of  the 
most  enlightened  audiences  in  the  nation.  Dr.  Woodbridge  is  one 
of  our  ripest  and  most  accomplished  scholars.  Although  he  has 
reached  an  advanced  age  in  his  earthly  pilgrimage,  he  is  still  as 


280  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OP 

fresh  and  buoyant  in  his  feelings,  as  elastic  in  his  movements,  and 
as  brilliant  in  his  intellectual  powers  as  at  any  period  of  his 
life.  After  the  services  were  over,  there  was  a  universal  desire  to 
be  introduced  to  the  preacher  ;  and  the  next  morning,  after  break- 
fast, Dr.  Woodbridge  received  an  invitation  to  meet  the  ladies  in 
their  parlor.  The  ladies  and  gentlemen  were  successively  intro- 
duced, and  the  interview  broke  up  with  many  a  delicate  expression 
of  grateful  regard  from  the  delighted  assembly. 

In  September,  1851, 1  went  to  Bergen  Heights,  two 
miles  from  Jersey  City,  to  dedicate  the  chapel  of  a 
Female  Seminary,  under  the  supervision  of  Miss  Car- 
oline Graves,  the  founder  and  teacher  of  the  institu- 
tion. The  arrangements  for  the  dedication  imparted 
dignity  and  splendor  to  the  occasion.  The  chapel  is 
a  spacious  and  elegant  upper  room,  extending  over 
the  lower  rooms,  which  are  devoted  to  the  purposes  of 
instruction.  It  was  profusely  decorated  with  flowers, 
and  filled  with  an  intelHgent  audience  from  the  city  and 
the  surrounding  country.  It  was  also  dignified  by  the 
presence  of  a  large  number  of  clergymen,  of  different 
denominations,  and  the  music  on  the  occasion  was  par- 
ticularly beautiful.  This  seminary  combines  a  variety 
of  attractions.  The  site  is  as  fine  as  can  be  imagined — 
commanding,  in  one  direction,  a  view  of  the  panorama 
of  New  York,  and  in  another,  Newark  and  the  glorious 
New  York  Bay.  I  repeatedly  visited  the  school,  to 
observe  its  internal  economy  and  educational  appoint- 
ments. I  examined  the  methods  of  instruction,  which 
must  secure  a  solid  and  an  accomplished  education. 

We  may  well  rejoice  at  the  improved  character  and 
increasing  number  of  our  female  seminaries.  They 
are  moral  lighthouses,  which  guide  the  ship  of  state 
safely  in  her  voyage.  We  have  a  great  many  noble 
institutions  for  female  education,  but  we  want  many 


A   BLIND   MINISTER.  281 

more.  We  want  them  to  light  up  and  glorify  every 
part  of  the  land.  This  subject  is  one  of  vast  magni- 
tude and  interest,  and  deserves  even  more  attention 
than  it  receives.  It  is  a  most  melancholy  thing  to  see, 
in  any  country,  one-half  of  the  race  left  uneducated, 
or  but  very  slenderly  supplied  with  the  blessing  of 
instruction.  The  female  sex,  left  uneducated,  are 
of  course  degraded,  and  must  of  necessity  bring 
degradation  upon  the  other  sex.  Man  may  consti- 
tute the  Doric  pillar  in  the  fabric  of  society,  but  that 
fabric  requires  the  polished  Corinthian  shaft,  with  its 
glorious  capital,  for  the  strength  and  beauty  of  the 
edifice.  The  benefit  of  our  female  seminaries  is 
visibly  perceived  in  all  the  departments  of  society. 
Multitudes  of  women  have  already  acquired  a  thorough 
and  extended  education ;  they  have  learned  to  think, 
and  they  have  learned  the  mighty  advantage  of  self- 
reliance.  In  this  great  interest,  we  cannot  sufficiently 
feel  our  indebtedness  to  the  Bible.  God's  Revelation 
has  changed  the  condition  of  woman ;  and  where  it  is 
profusely  scattered  among  the  people,  it  raises  woman 
to  her  proper  rank,  brings  her  up  to  the  side  of  man, 
makes  her  his  companion,  and  his  safe  and  fascinating 
guide.  The  degradation  and  seclusion  in  which 
women  were  kept  in  the  most  celebrated  and  polished 
States  of  antiquity,  took  from  social  intercourse  all 
its  interest  and  elegance,  and  reduced  its  scenes  of 
gayety  to  coarse  debauch.  Let  us,  then,  cherish  with 
warm  hearts  and  strong  hands  those  institutions  which 
are  reared  to  impart  an  efficient  and  accomplished 
education  to  the  female  sex. 

When  John  Robinson  mounted  the  deck  of  the  ship, 
in  which   our  fathers  were    embarking  for  the  New 
24* 


282  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

World,  he  said,  "  Brethren,  you  must  expect  new  light 
will  break  forth  out  of  the  Bible.  New  light  has 
broken  forth  in  the  doctrines  of  the  Reformation,  and 
other  great  lights  have  broken  forth  since.  One 
great  light  that  has  broken  forth,  brought  the  mo- 
mentous importance  of  female  education  into  view. 
When  our  fathers  planted  themselves  here,  they  imme- 
diately began  to  rear  schoolhouses,  as  well  as  churches. 
They  were  rude  structures,  but  they  were  the  best 
that  could  be  built  in  their  circumstances.  They  were 
built  for  both  sexes ;  their  daughters,  as  well  as  sons, 
were  gathered  into  these  places  of  instruction.  The 
daughters  received  a  plain  and  solid  education,  and 
they  turned  out  dignified  and  sensible  women.  Yery 
soon  these  good  men  instituted  colleges  and  grammar- 
schools,  as  the  academies  of  that  day  were  called  ;  but 
these  establishments  were  for  the  boys.  Advantages 
for  female  education  did  not  keep  pace  with  the  ap- 
pliances which  were  provided  for  our  own  sex.  But 
here.  Elder  Eobinson's  idea  was  verified.  The  Bible, 
which  was  profusely  in  the  hands  of  families,  placed 
woman  in  her  appropriate  position.  One  of  the  glo- 
ries of  our  age,  is  the  establishment  of  female  semina- 
ries, to  bring  up  the  education  of  females  to  a 
parallel  with  that  of  males.  In  these  schools,  an 
extended  and  polished  education  is  imparted  to  the 
female  mind.  The  material  which  is  operated  on  in 
these  institutions  is  of  a  most  precious  character.  The 
work  is  not  chiselling  out  a  beautiful  Apollo  from  Parian 
marble ;  it  is  not  the  ingenuity  of  the  artist,  who  pol- 
ishes the  diamond  or  the  gold ;  it  is  not  the  work  of  the 
painter,  who  employs  colors  that  must  fade.  But  the 
subject  operated  upon  is  the  female   mind  —  the  ex- 


A    BLIND   MINISTER.  283 

quisite  machine  of  woman's  intellect  and  heart.  The 
lines  which  are  made  on  this  subject  outlive  the  deep- 
est traces  made  by  the  engraver  with  a  pen  of  iron  or 
the  point  of  a  diamond.  These  are  great  processes 
which  take  place  in  the  culture  of  the  female  character. 
Woman  is  destined  to  exert  a  stupendous  influence 
in  human  affairs  and  human  destinies ;  and,  since  her 
place  of  influence  is  so  high,  it  is  of  vast  consequence 
that  she  be  trained  for  her  great  responsibilities.  Her 
field  of  toil  and  honor  is  not  the  same  with  that  of 
man.  Her  influence  and  happiness  are  greatest  when 
she  moves  in  her  own  sphere.  Her  home  is  not  on 
the  ship's  deck,  where  danger  and  glory  reside,  or  in 
the  field  of  agriculture,  or  on  the  railroad,  with  pick- 
axe and  spade.  Her  sphere  of  agency  is  distinctly 
and  broadly  marked  off  from  that  of  man  by  the  con- 
stitution of  her  nature.  These  broad  landmarks  of 
distinction,  some  turbulent  women  of  our  own  country 
are  endeavoring  to  obliterate,  and  want  both  sexes  to 
rush  indiscriminately  into  the  same  field  of  effort,  £ind 
scuffle  together  in  the  same  toils  and  for  the  same  hon- 
ors. But  the  distinction  between  the  pursuits  of  the 
two  sexes,  is  too  deeply  founded  in  the  constitution  of 
nature  to  be  extensively  or  permanently  obliterated. 
Woman  should  be  taught  the  mighty  lesson  of  self- 
dependence  in  regard  to  her  intellectual  character ; 
she  must  be  taught  to  think  for  herself,  and  not  put 
out  her  thinking  for  man  to  do  for  her.  Her  great 
strength  is  in  her  affections ;  here  are  the  fountains  of 
her  influence  and  the  sources  of  her  glory.  She  must 
be  taught  to  guide  these  affections  by  her  intellect, 
and  must  be  on  the  alert  to  distinguish  between  the 
good  and  the  evil,  that  she  becomes  not  the  slave  of 


284  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   A   BLIND   MINISTER. 

these  affections.  A  grand  department  of  her  instruc- 
tion must  be  moral.  She  must  never  move  in  the 
doubtful  twilight  between  right  and  wrong,  truth  and 
error,  rectitude  and  sin.  May  God  grant  that  the  in- 
stitutions referred  to  may  be  consecrated  to  the  hal- 
lowed purpose  for  which  they  are  reared  —  to  use  the 
honest  and  homely  phrase  of  our  fathers :  ''  to  the 
promotion  of  good  learning  among  women.''  I  was 
penetrated  with  these  views  on  visiting  the  excellent 
seminary  at  Bergen. 

Miss  Graves,  the  principal  of  the  institution,  is  from 
Green  River,  and,  as  she  was  brought  up  under  my 
ministry,  I  had  an  opportunity  of  observing  the  finely- 
balanced  elements  of  her  character.  She  has  practical 
talent,  and  is  well  qualified  to  stamp  the  character  of  a 
rising  seminary. 

The  Graves  family  resided  in  Green  River  through 
the  whole  of  my  ministry  in  that  place ;  and,  though 
they  lived  four  miles  from  the  church,  their  vehicle 
was  always  seen  driving  up  to  the  church  door  every 
Sunday  morning,  without  much  reference  to  wind  or 
weather.  Such  a  family  is  a  light  and  blessing  in  a 
society,  and  a  strong  and  beautiful  pillar  in  the  church. 
They  cheer  the  heart  of  a  minister,  and,  as  the  Dutch 
elder  remarked  to  me,  "  assist  him  to  wear  a  good  face 
as  well  as  a  good  grace."  May  the  cloud  of  God's 
benediction  long  hang  over  this  enterprising  family. 


CHAPTER    XVIII 


JOURNEY  TO   OHIO. 


Description  of  Cleveland. — Dayton. — Teachers'  Convention  in  that 
City.  —  State  of  Education  in  Ohio.  —  Visit  to  Cincinnati.  —  Remarks 
on  National  Vanity.  —  Return  from  Ohio,  with  General  Reflections.  — 
Passage  on  Lake  Erie. 

In  the  summer  of  1853,  I  went  a  journey,  accom- 
panied by  my  wife,  to  Ohio.  Our  programme  was 
to  travel  through  that  State,  and  make  a  httle  excursion 
into  Kentucky.  This  plan  we  executed  to  our  entire 
gratification.  We  travelled  by  railroad,  and  the  second 
day  arrived  at  Cleveland,  the  Forest  City.  The  heat 
and  dust  were  insufferable ;  but  every  traveller  can 
speak  of  such  incommodities  as  dust  and  heat,  who 
adventures  himself  in  cars  in  sultry  weather. 

Cleveland  is  a  sort  of  gem  in  Ohio.  It  takes  the 
appellation  of  Forest  City,  from  the  fact  that  the 
planters  of  the  town  had  the  good  taste  to  leave  a 
great  number  of  the  primeval  trees  of  the  forest  in 
such  a  position  as  to  overshadow  the  rising  town,  and 
give  the  city,  to  observers  at  a  distance,  the  aspect 
of  a  forest. 

We  made  such  inquiries  of  friends  as  our  time  would 
permit  into  the  history,  present  condition,  and  pros- 
pects of  the  town.  It  was  settled  chiefly  by  New 
England  people,  and  has  been  shaped  by  their  manners 
and  tastes.     It  is  distinguished  by  refined  and  literary 

(285) 


286  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

society.  It  is  wonderful  to  see  cities  in  the  West, 
which,  but  a  few  years  ago,  were  overshadowed  by  the 
primitive  forest,  springing  up  Hke  the  creations  of 
magic,  characterized  by  the  refinement  of  ancient  cap- 
itals, illuminated  with  literary  and  scientific  institu- 
tions, and  adorned  with  works  of  art  produced  by 
native  and  foreign  artists. 

Here  we  met  my  nephew,  Mr.  B.,  of  Dayton,  who 
had  come  to  Cleveland  to  accompany  us  to  his  home. 
Mr.  B.  is  an  extraordinary  man.  He  is  an  iron  mer- 
chant in  Dayton,  has  a  high  mercantile  reputation, 
which  he  has  acquired  and  which  he  sustains  by  con- 
ducting his  business  on  a  vast  scale,  with  capacity, 
honor,  and  energy. 

Mr.  B.'s  importunate  kindness  determined  me  to 
make  this  journey,  and  his  munificence  secured  to 
me  the  means  of  every  possible  convenience  in  my 
travels. 

His  mother,  my  only  sister,  resides  at  Dayton,  and, 
as  I  had  not  seen  her  for  twenty  years,  I  was  anxious 
to  make  this  visit. 

After  leaving  Cleveland,  and  beginning  to  descend 
into  the  limitless  valley  of  the  Mississippi,  we  were 
struck  with  an  impression  of  the  vastness  of  the 
country,  and  I  exclaimed  with  the  New  Englander,  the 
first  time  he  travelled  into  these  boundless  regions,  "  I 
did  not  think  our  country  was  so  big  !  " 

On  arriving  at  Dayton,  we  were  received  by  our 
friends  with  the  utmost  enthusiasm.  This  is  a  city  of 
more  than  twenty  thousand  inhabitants,  well-built,  with 
broad  streets  well-paved  and  shaded.  The  public  edi- 
fices are  noble,  particularly  the  court-house,  which  is 


A  BLIND   MINISTER.  287 

said  to  be  the  best  in  the  State.  The  city  displays 
every  token  of  industry,  enterprise,  and  public  spirit. 

While  we  were  at  Dayton,  there  occurred  a  conven- 
tion of  teachers  from  the  whole  State.  The  faculties 
of  the  colleges,  professors  and  teachers  of  every  grade 
in  the  system  of  education,  were  in  attendance.  I 
mingled  with  the  convention  two  days,  and  was  pleased 
to  hoar  the  reports  from  every  part  of  the  State.  The 
convention  was  made  up  of  well-educated  and  sensible 
persons,  who  were  decidedly  a  working  class  in  the 
great  cause  of  education;  and  such  a  body  of  men 
thrown  over  the  whole  State,  devoted  as  they  were  to 
public  instruction,  must,  I  thought,  make  a  great  and 
salutary  impression  upon  the  interests  of  educational 
improvement.  We  saw  evidences  of  this  wherever 
we  went,  for  we  saw  lying  upon  the  tables  the  last 
publications,  literary  periodicals,  and  newspapers,  fresh 
from  the  presses  of  the  Atlantic  cities. 

After  the  convention  had  closed  their  labors,  they 
spent  the  evening,  by  invitation,  on  the  extensive  and 
beautiful  grounds  of  the  Female  Seminary.  Here  we 
were  plentifully  furnished  with  refreshments,  and 
music,  both  vocal  and  instrumental.  I  was  introduced 
to  many  gentlemen  and  ladies  from  various  parts  of 
the  State,  and,  as  they  were  practical  people,  I  had  an 
excellent  opportunity  of  directing  my  inquiries  to  such 
objects  as  would  give  me  the  fullest  and  most  minute 
information  in  relation  to  Ohio.  The  cause  of  educa- 
tion, I  perceived,  had  received  the  most  earnest  atten- 
tion, and  was  patronized  by  the  government  and  the 
people  with  commendable  liberality. 

In  my  travels  through  Ohio,  I  found,  what  every 
traveller  must  find  there,  the  material  and  moral  ele- 


288  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

ments  of  a  great  State.  It  has  ample  limits,  but  little 
waste  land,  and  vast  agricultural  and  mineral  resources. 
I  observed  a  different  cast  of  manners  from  that  which 
prevails  in  the  older  portions  of  the  country.  The 
people  generally  display  warmth  and  generosity  of 
manners  upon  a  first  acquaintance.  They  throw  out 
their  feelings  a  little  more  on  the  surface  than  the 
inhabitants  of  the  East.  But  the  more  cautious  people 
of  the  older  parts  of  the  country  have  as  warm  and 
true  hearts  as  can  be  found  at  the  West.  If  they  are 
not  as  quick  in  their  expressions  of  confidence  as  the 
people  of  the  West,  they  are  quite  as  durable  and  dis- 
interested in  their  friendships. 

In  their  hospitality,  I  observed  they  differed  a  little 
from  us  at  the  East.  Everything  in  their  hospitality 
must  be  on  a  very  liberal  scale.  Their  tables  are 
loaded  with  what  we  consider  unnecessary  profusion. 
This  is  perhaps  the  natural  accompaniment  of  a  new 
country.  Where  people  are  few  and  the  land  pro- 
ductive and  the  markets  distant,  there  is  commonly  a 
profuse  display  of  viands  on  the  table ;  and  a  hotel 
will  furnish  to  a  single  traveller  food  enough  for  half 
a  score.  But  the  progress  of  population  and  the 
multiplication  of  markets  are  gradually  changing  this 
peculiarity.  In  the  older  and  more  commercial  parts 
of  the  country,  men  are  more  moulded  by  institutions 
than  in  new  regions.  In  the  more  ancient  portions 
of  the  country,  there  is  capital  and  the  influence  of 
conventionalism.  In  the  West,  there  is  more  individ- 
ualism, and  there  society  is  subdivided  into  minute 
parts  and  particles.     The  individual  makes  himself. 

We  went  to  Cincinnati,  the  Queen  City  of  the  West, 
and  spent  a  few  days.    Here  we  met  a  great  number 


A  BLIND   MINISTER.  289 

of  old  friends,  who  had  gone  thither  in  quest  of  fame 
and  fortune  ;  andj^when  I  descended  from  the  pulpit, 
where  I  had  preached,  I  was  surrounded  by  many- 
old  acquaintances,  who  had  found  homes  there  from 
the  various  districts  of  New  England  and  New  York. 
These  old  friends,  who  had  concentrated  in  Cincinnati, 
greeted  me  with  the  most  affecting  cordiality.  It  was 
delightful  to  observe  that  old  ties  of  friendship,  which 
might  have  been  weakened  in  some  degree  by  dis- 
tance, seemed  to  spring  up  in  all  their  pristine 
strength. 

I  took  a  special  interest  in  mingling  in  the  society 
of  that  city  that  is  increasing  by  tens  of  thousands 
every  year.  The  length  of  the  streets,  the  splendor 
of  the  buildings,  and  the  bustle  and  smoke  of  the 
city,  made  me  fancy  myself  in  a  metropolitan  city. 

Cincinnati  excited  my  admiration.  Young  as  it  is, 
it  has  a  dignified  history.  It  has  sent  forth  into  the 
councils  of  the  nation  able  and  eminent  men ;  it  has, 
on  an  ample  scale,  schools  of  the  fine  arts,  and  has 
produced  a  number  of  artists  in  painting  and  statuary, 
who  have  acquired  a  national  and  European  reputa- 
tion. It  is  pushed  forward  in  its  career  to  wealth 
and  fame  by  a  large  measure  of  public  spirit  and  en- 
terprise, and  it  is  diffusing  an  elevating  and  hallowed 
influence  far  and  wide  over  the  West. 

I  was,  in  the  West,  a  little  struck  and  amused  with 
a  trait  of  national  or  local  vanity,  which  I  observed  in 
various  individuals  in  my  travels  beyond  the  mountains. 
Many  of  our  countrymen,  kindling  with  the  bright 
dreams  of  the  future  which  politicians  set  before  them, 
and  exulting  in  the  admiration  of  statesmen  and  sages 
at  the  thought  of  the  vast  area  on  which  our  great 
25 


290  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

experiment,  for  freedom  is  being  tried,  have  some- 
times allowed  the  natural  impulse  of  patriotic  pride 
to  affect  their  literary  as  well  as  political  views,  and 
have  adopted  the  pleasing 

"  fancy  that  the  poet's  dreams 


Grow  in  the  ratio  of  his  hills  and  streams  ; 

The  child  of  genius  in  the  giant  West 

Must  be,  of  course,  her  biggest  and  her  best." 

National  vanity  is,  however,  no  peculiarity  of  any 
particular  district  of  the  earth.  It  exists  everywhere, 
through  all  soils  and  all  climate ;  and,  indeed,  there  is 
no  country  where  the  people  are  not  outrageously 
vain  of  their  native  land. 

*<  But  where  to  find  the  happiest  spot  below, 
Who  can  direct,  when  all  pretend  to  know  ? 
The  shudd'ring  tenant  of  the  frigid  zone 
Boldly  proclaims  that  happiest  spot  his  own, 
Extols  the  treasures  of  his  stormy  seas. 
And  his  long  nights  of  revelry  and  ease. 
The  naked  negro,  panting  at  the  line. 
Boasts  of  his  golden  sands  and  palmy  wine, 
Basks  in  the  glare,  or  stems  the  tepid  wave. 
And  thanks  his  gods  for  all  the  good  they  gave. 
Such  is  the  patriot's  boast,  where'er  we  roam,  — 
His  first,  best  country  ever  is  at  home." 

But  the  feature  of  this  local  vanity  I  observed  at 
the  West,  was  of  a  phase  somewhat  peculiar.'  They 
seemed  to  imagine,  or  at  least  a  few  of  them,  that  the 
vastness  of  their  country  imparted  vastness  to  the 
mind;  that  there  was  some  analogy  between  the  un- 
bounded valleys  and  prairies  of  the  West  and  the 
mental  amplitude  of  the  inhabitants.  Their  orators,  I 
"have  found,  had  appealed  to  this  local  vanity,  and  flat- 


A  BLIND   MINISTER.  291 

terecl  tlio  passion,  to  win  favor  and  promote  tlieir  own 
popularity.  A  few  gentlemen  argued  the  point  with 
me,  and  attempted,  very  ingeniously,  to  show  the  con- 
nection between  external  scenery  and  the  mind,  and 
if  the  scenery  was  vast,  the  mind  must  partake  of  the 
same  quality.  I  told  them  that  if  extent  of  country 
expanded  the  mind,  we  at  the  East  had  the  same  ad- 
vantage with  them,  for,  amid  our  mountains,  we  could 
reflect  that  our  glorious  country  stretched  to  the 
Pacific.  I  referred  them  to  history,  and  told  them  of 
the  Greek  philosophers,  whose  stupendous  geniuses 
were  hemmed  in  by  ridges  of  near  mountains,  as 
specimens  of  intellectual  and  moral  vastness  in  very 
isolated  and  limited  localities. 

But  I  imagine,  after  all,  that  this  form  of  local  vanity 
is  not,  to  much  extent,  a  practical  sentiment.  I  found 
the  people  of  the  great  valley  a  vigorous,  enterprising, 
and  strong-minded  race ;  and,  on  mingling  with  men 
from  the  far  West,  it  does  seem  as  though  there  is  some- 
times a  grandeur  imparted  to  the  human  spirit  by  the 
lonely  forest  and  the  boundless  prairie.  The  great 
lesson  of  self-reliance  and  independence  is  acquired  in 
these  border  schools.  Those  who  are  trained  up  in 
these  rude  ways  are  accustomed  to  contend  with  the 
storm  and  the  mountain  path.  The  men  who  first  took 
possession  of  the  broad  prairies  and  vast  solitudes 
of  the  West  were  men  of  iron  nerves,  who  had  a 
quick  perception,  a  keen  eye,  and  an  unfaltering  step. 

But,  if  any  people  on  earth  are  excusable  for  vanity 
in  regard  to  their  country,  it  is  the  American ;  for  our 
country  is  not  only  rich  in  its  fertility,  and  grand  and 
beautiful  in  its  scenery,  but  is  boundless  in  its  extent. 
In  Europe,  a  man  in  a  few  hours  will  travel  beyond 


292  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

the  sceptre  of  his  sovereign ;  but  here,  we  may  travel 
for  weeks  and  not  escape  the  range  of  our  citizenship. 
Perhaps  our  vanity  does  not  alwaj^s  take  the  best  direc- 
tion. We  are  inchned  to  be  more  vain  of  our  country 
than  of  our  history,  brilKant  as  that  history  is  in  noble 
deeds  and  great  examples.  This  is  often  observed  by 
Europeans. 

[An  intelligent  friend,  who  had  read  this  portion 
of  my  manuscript,  added  a  striking  confirmation  of 
the  foregoing  remarks.  In  conversing  with  Hallam, 
the  learned  historian,  the  same  idea  was  thrown  out. 

"  I  have  always  been  surprised,"  said  he,  "  at  the 
standard  of  true  greatness  which  your  countrymen 
seem  so  generally  to  recognize.  You  attach,  possibly, 
an  undue  importance  to  yourselves  on  account  of 
the  physical  features  of  your  stupendous  continent. 
To  the  mind  of  a  European,  the  existence  of  such  a 
man  as  Daniel  "Webster  is  far  more  important  and  im- 
posing than  the  cataract  of  Niagara,  while  the  charac- 
ter of  Washington  defies  all  parallel  or  comparison. 
Your  Revolution  is  also  one  of  the  sublimest  facts, 
in  history;  and  the  appearance  of  that  wonderful  race 
of  great  men,  who  may  bo  called  the  fathers  of  your 
republic,  imparts  an  intellectual  and  moral  grandeur  to 
American  citizenship,  which  can  receive  no  new  lustre 
from  your  mountain  ranges,  your  interminable  prairies, 
or  your  continent-draining  rivers.  You  will,  it  is 
true,  with  the  progress  of  refinement,  attach  less  com- 
parative importance  every  year  to  these  physical 
objects,  as  the  higher  attributes  of  the  intellectual  and 
the  moral  rise  in  your  esteem. 

"  I  am  always  struck  when  I  see  your  journalists 
crossing  the  Atlantic  for  illustrations.     If  an  American 


A   BLIND   MINISTER.  293 

does  a  great  thing,  he  is  dubbed  the  Napoleon  of  his 
particular  department,  whether  it  be  in  making  bridges 
or  raising  cotton.  If  you  have  a  poet,  you  call  him 
the  Byron  or  Wordsworth  of  your  country.  If  you 
have  a  novelist,  like  Cooper,  you  call  him  the  Scott  of 
America.  But  you  will  soon  make  a  moral  and  intel- 
lectual declaration  of  independence — cast  off  these 
shackles,  and  stand  on  your  own  basis.  Then  the 
admiration  of  mankind  for  you  will  be  complete." 

These  remarks  were  made  to  my  friend  by  Mr.  Hal- 
lam,  sixteen  years  ago.] 

In  all  the  large  towns  where  I  stopped,  I  was 
constrained  to  preach  in  their  principal  churches, 
sometimes  to  my  inconvenience,  under  the  unelastic 
atmosphere  where  the  Mississippi  temperature  prevails 
in  mid-summer.  I  felt  the  subduing  effect  of  this 
temperature  more  from  having,  through  most  of  my 
life,  experienced  the  invigorating  influence  of  mountain 
air. 

I  spent  four  or  five  weeks  in  Ohio,  greatly  to  my 
satisfaction.  I  was  grateful  to  the  people  for  their 
attentions,  and  brought  away  with  me  the  impression* 
that  Ohio  has  already  attained,  and  will  always  sus- 
tain, a  prominent  and  splendid  position  among  the 
family  of  States,  and  the  great  heart  of  the  Republic 
will  beat  deep  and  loud  within  her  borders. 

We  returned  by  way  of  Lake  Erie,  and  embarked 
at  Sandusky  in  a  new  and  magnificent  steamer.  We 
did  not  much  like  trusting  ourselves  to  that  treacher- 
ous lake,  whose  history  is  so  full  of  disasters  and 
wrecks,  and  the  white-capped  waves  which  surged  in 
all  directions  looked  a  little  ominous.  But  our  noble 
vessel  and  excellent  commander  vanquished  all  solici- 

25* 


294  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   A   BLIND   MINISTER. 

tude^  and  we  ploughed  on  gallantly  to  our  "  desired 
haven  "  at  Buffalo. 

The  next  day  we  reached  our  home,  by  railroad, 
and,  I  trust,  were  grateful  to  Providence  for  our  long 
and  delightful  journey. 

May  the  cloud  of  God's  benediction  rest  upon  Ohio, 
and  fill  her  noble  territory  with  glad  and  happy  fam- 
ines. 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

HISTORIC  DRAMA   OF   MY   TIME. 

When  I  opened  my  eyes  upon  the  light,  this  great 
country  had  just  asserted  its  independence,  and  was 
made  up  of  a  few  slender  States,  exhausted  by  the 
long  war  of  the  Revolution,  and  linked  together  by 
the  slender  tie  of  the  old  Confederation.  But  this 
Republic  has,  since  that  period,  risen  into  one  of  tho 
most  powerful  nations  of  the  earth ;  it  stretches  across 
the  continent,  and,  from  one  side  to  the  other,  is  en- 
riched with  cultured  fields,  villages,  and  cities.  Tho 
growth  of  such  an  empire  is  the  most  extraordinary 
episode  that  has  ever  been  enacted  in  the  life  of  an 
individual.  My  faculties  had  sufficiently  expanded  to 
read  and  understand  the  bloody  horrors  of  the  French 
Revolution.  I  marked,  though  I  was  a  young  boy, 
the  rise  upon  the  theatre  of  the  world  of  Napoleon 
Bonaparte.  I  observed  the  elevation,  decline,  and 
fall  of  this  wonderful  man,  and  his  story  is  a  dazzling 
episode  of  my  time. 

I  have  lived  in  the  lifetime  of  Washington.  I  re- 
member his  presidency,  and  was  old  enough  to  appre- 
ciate discussions  about  his  measures,  and  I  read  his 
state  papers  as  they  came  from  the  press.  I  consider 
it  a  high  privilege  to  have  lived  in  the  time  and 
country  of  Washington,  and  I  regard  it  as  an  interest- 
ing circumstance  in  my  life,  that  I  lived  under  the 

(295) 


296  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

administration  of  the  greatest  and  best  ruler  history 
presents. 

When  I  was  a  boy,  I  heard  a  great  deal  of  talk 
about  George  III.,  our  late  tyrannical  and  pertinacious 
oppressor.  I  was  taught  to  dislike  him  as  a  violator 
of  our  rights,  and  the  agent  who  pushed  on  the  war 
to  an  unreasonable  length,  when  there  was  no  hope 
of  success.  This  was  not  so  well  understood  at  that 
time,  as  it  has  been  of  late,  since  his  private  letters 
have  seen  the  light,  and  shown  him  as  personally 
utterly  unwilling  to  make  peace,  when  the  best  states- 
men of  his  government  desired  and  advised  that 
measure.  I  lived  to  hear  of  that  monarch  being 
carried  to  his  grave,  in  extreme  age,  worn  out  with 
mental  and  bodily  disease. 

I  have  outlived  two  or  three  generations  of  literary 
men.  In  my  early  life,  Johnson  and  Goldsmith  were 
the  last  great  poets  England  had  produced.  There 
was  a  long  waste  from  those  poets  down  to  Walter 
Scott,  the  appearance  of  whose  first  splendid  poem  I 
well  recoUect.  The  dreary  waste  referred  to  was  in- 
deed redeemed  from  absolute  desolation  by  the  hal- 
lowed lyre  of  Cowper. 

When  I  was  a  boy,  it  was  the  common  cant  of  lit- 
erary men,  that  we  had  no  elegant  literature  in  this 
country.  We  had  indeed  but  a  slender  stock  of  that 
beautiful  commodity.  The  only  works  of  great  and 
permanent  value  were  the  writings  of  Edwards  and 
Franklin;  but  they  were  of  a  profound  and  philo- 
sophical character.  Our  only  poets  were  D wight, 
Barlow,  and  Trumbull.  The  popular  light  reading 
was  all  from  English  sources,  and,  in  the  department 
of  novels,  Fielding's  and  Ann  Radclifie's  writings  ob- 


A  BLIND   MINISTER.  297 

tained  the  preference.  We  also  had  favorite  books 
from  France ;  Madame  de  Stael's  writings  were  par- 
ticularly popular. 

But  we  have  since  created  a  large  stock  of  elegant 
literature.  Washington  Irving  opened  this  path  of 
writing,  with  great  success  and  popularity ;  but,  since 
he  began  his  career,  we  have  had  a  great  accumula- 
tion of  books  in  this  department  of  polite  letters,  and 
many  of  these  works  have  commanded  high  reputation 
and  popularity  on  the  other  side  of  the  water. 

I  have  observed  in  my  day  great  changes  in  the 
public  mind  on  momentous  subjects.  There  has  been 
springing  up  a  higher  tone  of  morality  in  regard  to 
the  measures  of  government.  There  has  been  wide- 
spread an  abhorrence  of  war,  not  only  on  account  of 
its  cost  and  the  sufferings  it  produces,  but  on  account 
of  its  immorality.  All  unnecessary  war  is  considered 
criminal,  as  well  as  terribly  burdensome  ;  and  a  strong 
and  practical  desire  is  felt  to  make  governments  in 
their  measures  approximate  more  nearly  than  formerly 
to  the  Christian  standard. 

I  have  learned  from  my  observation  a  solemn  lesson 
on  the  shortness  of  human  foresight.  Most  of  the 
great  measures  which  have  been  set  on  foot  by  the 
governments  of  the  earth  have  produced  effects  not 
foreseen  or  intended.  This  is  true  in  relation  to  great 
movements  of  foreign  and  even  domestic  policy,  and 
pre-eminently  true  of  the  great  wars  which  have  been 
undertaken.  The  collateral  and  unexpected  results 
of  these  movements  have  greatly  surpassed  in  im- 
portance the  effects  which  were  aimed  at  by  states- 
men, and  the  unintended  effects  have  been  greater 
than  those  which  were  intended. 


298  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

In  my  day,  in  all  enlightened  countries,  the  rights 
of  the  people  have  been  more  respected  than  ever 
before.  Nations  have  learned  that  the  State  is  not 
all  in  all,  but  the  rights  of  individuals  are  sacred  and 
inviolable  things.  New  and  more  liberal  maxims  of 
government  have  found  a  lodgment  in  the  high  places 
of  power.  Old  traditionary  ideas  which  hampered 
statesmen  are  many  of  them  abandoned,  and  the  car 
of  State  is  not  now  always  driven  along  in  the  ruts  of 
the  old  paths. 

The  condition  of  nations  has  been  changed  by  cer- 
tain great  inventions  which  have  been  made.  The 
application  of  steam-power  to  traveUing  by  sea  and 
land  has  greatly  altered  the  condition  of  large  por- 
tions of  the  earth.  The  boundless  valley  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi has  been  entirely  transmuted  by  steam-vessels 
on  that  mighty  river  and  its  tributaries. 

The  electric  telegraph  is  rapidly  changing  the  con- 
dition of  the  human  race,  by  the  celerity  with  which 
it  transmits  ideas  and  intelligence.  Families  and  in- 
dividuals have  been  greatly  improved  in  their  moral 
and  material  condition  by  the  countless  inventions 
which  have  multiplied  the  conveniences  of  life. 

A  great  change  in  my  time  has  come  over  the  re- 
ligious world.  In  my  boyhood,  the  novelties  and 
Infidel  ideas  which  emanated  from  the  French  Revo- 
lution were  rapidly  spread  through  enlightened  na- 
tions. They  had  a  considerable  run  in  our  country, 
and  extensively  infected  and  injured  young  men.  But, 
"  when  the  enemy  came  in  like  a  flood,  the  Spirit  of 
the  Lord  lifted  up  a  standard  against  him."  In  the 
early  part  of  the  present  century,  the  missionary  spirit 
made  an  unwonted  development,  and  directed  its  be- 


A  BLIND   MINISTER.  299 

nevolence  and  ejfforts  to  the  whole  circuit  of  the 
earth. 

My  time  has  been  the  era  of  Bible  Societies.  These 
excellent  associations  have  been  instituted  in  every 
Protestant  country,  and  even  in  some  Catholic  coun- 
tries, where  a  relaxation  of  the  law  has  permitted 
them  to  be  planted.  These  institutions  are  pouring 
forth  broad  streams  of  light  over  the  earth,  and  seem 
likely  to  continue  their  beneficent  operations,  till  "  the 
wilderness  and  solitary  place  shall  bud  and  blossom  as 
the  rose."  A  great  number  of  subsidiary  agencies  to 
spread  light  among  men  have  been  brought  into  ex- 
istence and  sustained  with  vigor. 

In  the  early  part  of  this  century,  revivals  of  religion 
were  chiefly  relied  on  by  ministers  and  private  Chris- 
tians to  promote  the  piety  of  the  church  and  to  increase 
its  numerical  strength.  But  religious  revivals,  like  all 
other  good  things,  have  been  perverted,  and  have 
had  their  semblances  and  counterfeits.  For  the  first 
thirty  or  forty  years  of  this  century,  nothing  gave 
Christians  so  much  pleasure  as  accounts  of  revivals 
of  religion.  But  so  many  scenes  of  spurious  excite- 
ment have  occurred,  that  accounts  are  now  read  with 
more  discrimination  and  less  reliance.  The  church  is 
gradually  coming  fully  to  the  conviction,  that  religion 
is  to  be  promoted  by  the  use  of  God's  appointed 
means,  humbly  and  perseveringly  applied;  and  the 
custom  of  sending  off  periodically  for  some  evangelist 
to  come,  and  aim  at  the  production  of  a  revival,  has 
ceased.  Vital  godliness  was  found  to  wither  up  under 
that  system,  as  only  a  certain  set  of  topics,  which 
were  supposed  to  be  connected  with  immediate  results, 
were  brought  into  the  pulpit,  and  the  symmetry  of  the 


300  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   A  BLIND   MINISTER. 

gospel  was  gone.  Our  churches,  which  aim  at,  and 
commonly  secure,  a  periodical  excitement,  often  called 
a  revival  of  religion,  have  comparatively  but  little 
strength  and  influence.  They  have  lost  ground  in 
the  esteem  of  the  Christian  community,  and  have 
weakened  their  hold  over  the  consciences  and  respect 
of  men.  There,  are,  however,  some  precious  scenes 
which  transpire  in  the  progress  of  Christ's  kingdom, 
which  we  properly  denominate  revivals  of  religion.  I 
have  witnessed  many  such  which  were  clearly  stamped 
with  the  marks  of  Divine  operation,  and  the  fruits  of 
which  have  glorified  God  and  blessed  man. 

These  few  glances  at  the  leading  incidents  of  my 
time  show  that  I  have  lived  in  an  eventful  period ;  and 
there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  events  which  have 
been  crowded  into  the  historic  drama  of  the  world 
during  the  period  under  review,  have  been  stupen- 
dous, and  greatly  surpassed  in  importance  the  events 
of  any  previous  time  of  the  same  length ;  and  yet, 
after  witnessing  all  these  strange  movements,  I  am  in 
the  full  vigor  of  my  intellectual  faculties  and  physical 
powers. 


CHAPTER    XX. 

MISCELLANEOUS   REMINISCENCES. 

Multitudes  of  persons  have  seemed  to  regard  me 
as  dwelling  in  solitude.  This,  I  suppose,  has  been  on 
account  of  my  blindness.  Because  I  did  not  see  peo- 
ple with  the  bodily  eye,  one  of  the  windows  of  the 
mind,  they  supposed  I  did  not  see  them  at  all,  and  that 
I  could  not  come  in  contact,  or  mingle  my  sympathies 
with  them,  as  readily  and  fully  as  if  nothing  had  hap- 
pened. This  idea  of  my  position  has  indicated  itself 
to  my  observation  in  diiSerent  ways.  I  have  some- 
times heard  ministers,  when  I  have  been  in  the  pulpit 
with  them,  pray  that  God  would  cheer  me  in  my  great 
and  long  solitude.  This  superficial  view  of  my  sit- 
uation has  amused  and  surprised  me.  I  have  been  one 
of  the  most  social  of  human  beings,  and  have  been, 
in  a  much  greater  degree  than  common,  mixed  up  and 
identified  with  my  fellow-beings.  This  has  been  well 
known  by  all  who  have  been  familiar  with  me.  They 
have  all  found  it  very  easy  to  keep  up  with  me  the 
most  direct  and  energetic  sympathies,  and  I  have 
taken  a  quick  and  earnest  interest  in  all  persons  and 
things  about  me.  An  erroneous  method  of  conceiving 
of  the  external  senses  is  very  common.  The  philo- 
sophical idea  of  the  different  senses  is,  that  they  are  so 
many  windows  through  which  the  soul  looks  out ;  and 
if  any  window  is  darkened,  the  soul  learns  to  seek  its 
26  (301) 


302  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

information  througli  other  windows.  It  is  a  direct 
and  easy  way  to  mark  the  expression  of  another  per- 
son, by  looking  at  his  countenance  and  manner ;  and, 
because  it  is  easier  to  use  the  eye  in  discovering  the 
expression  of  another,  the  ear  is  not  much  relied  on. 
But  the  ear,  after  all,  is  a  more  acute  and  faithful  sen- 
tinel than  the  eye.  The  feelings  of  the  inner  man  ray 
themselves  out  through  the  voice  more  perfectly  than 
through  the  varying  expressions  of  the  eye.  I  can  inter- 
pret a  man's  mind  more  acutely  through  his  voice  than 
I  could  through  his  face,  if  I  had  the  eyes  of  an  Argus. 
I  have  often  surprised  people  by  speaking  of  the  ex- 
pression of  their  eyes,  which  I  perceived  from  the 
tones  of  their  voice.  The  soul  paints  itself,  with  all 
its  fleeting  tints  and  shades  of  feeling,  more  minutely 
and  perceivably  through  the  accents  of  the  voice,  than 
through  the  varying  but  fainter  expressions  of  the 
eye. 

I  have  been  through  life  active  in  my  habits ;  have 
exercised,  by  walking  and  riding,  without  any  obstruc- 
tion from  my  blindness,  and  as  much  as  almost  any 
other  man.  I  have  mingled  with  the  utmost  famiharity 
in  the  public,  and  also  in  the  domestic,  scenes  of  life, 
and  have  been  anything  but  a  solitary  man.  I  have 
thought,  lived,  and  felt,  out  of  the  narrow  dwelling  of 
self,  as  fully  and  earnestly  as  any  other  human  being. 
This  idea  of  my  solitude,  I  have  observed,  very  quickly 
vanishes  from  the  minds  of  persons  on  becoming  ac- 
quainted with  me.  I  have,  through  life,  cultivated  a 
taste  for  the  scenes  of  nature,  and  have  been  minutely 
acquainted  with  all  the  scenery  around  me.  My  sight 
was  good  till  I  reached  manhood,  so  that  all  the  forms 
of  nature  were  familiar  to  my  imagination,  and  they 


A  BLIND  MINISTER.  303 

have  all  dwelt  with  perfect  vividness  in  my  memory.  I 
have  forgotten  no  object  I  ever  saw.  When  I  visit  new 
scenes,  I  get  a  description  of  them ;  or  I  visit  them  and 
get  the  palpable  avouch  of  my  own  remaining  senses. 
I  have  enjoyed  the  fine  moonlight  and  the  jewelry  of 
the  heavens  over  my  head,  as  much  as  the  man  of  per- 
fect vision.  I  have  taken  great  delight  in  climbing 
the  mountain  and  in  descending  into  the  glen.  The 
state  of  my  eyes  has  obstructed  me  in  regard  to  all 
these  pursuits  and  pleasures  much  less  than  others 
imagine ;  and  it  is  wonderful  how  intellect  and  resolu- 
tion will  surmount  any  impediments  that  may  happen 
to  the  external  senses.  I  can  apply  to  myself  the 
noble  lines  of  Wordsworth : 

"Ah !  if  the  time  must  come  in  which  my  feet 
No  more  shall  stray  where  meditation  leads, 
By  flowing  stream,  through  wood,  or  craggy  wild, 
Loved  haunts  like  these,  the  unimprisoned  mind 
May  yet  have  scope  to  range  among  her  own, 
Her  thoughts,  her  images,  her  high  desires. 

Though  the  dear  fiiculty  of  sight  has  failed, 

Still  it  may  be  allowed  me  to  remember 

What  visionary  powers  of  eye  and  soul, 

In  youth,  were  mine  ;  when,  stationed  on  the  top 

Of  some  huge  hill,  expectant,  I  beheld 

The  sun  rise  up,  from  distant  climes  returned, 

Darkness  to  chase,  and  sleep,  and  bring  the  day, 

His  bounteous  gift !  or  saw  him  towards  the  deep 

Sink,  with  a  retinue  of  flaming  clouds 

Attended.     Then  my  spirit  was  entranced 

With  joy,  exalted  to  beatitude  ; 

The  measure  of  my  soul  was  filled  with  bliss. 

And  holiest  love  ;  as  earth,  sea,  air,  with  light, 

"With  pomp,  with  glory,  with  magnificence  !  " 

I  have  been  a  diligent  and  extensive  reader.     Few 


304  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

men  have  read  more.  I  have  applied  myself  more 
earnestly  to  the  reading  of  a  book  than  if  I  could 
peruse  it  with  my  own  eyes,  for  I  knew  it  would  not 
be  as  convenient  for  me  to  turn  to  the  book  again  as  it 
would  for  a  man  of  good  sight;  and,  consequently,  I 
would  rather  apprehend  clearly,  and  retain  perma- 
nently, the  contents  of  a  book,  than  to  be  obliged  to 
search  it  again,  through  the  eyes  of  a  friend.  It  has 
been  with  me  as  with  those  who  borrow  books.  It  is 
the  remark  of  some  learned  man,  that  he  always  re- 
membered the  books  he  borrowed  better  than  those  in 
his  own  library.  The  reason,  undoubtedly,  was  the  one 
above  referred  to.  He  was  more  faithful  in  the  peru- 
sal of  a  borrowed  book,  because  he  could  not  recur 
to  it  when  he  pleased,  than  in  the  reading  of  his  own 
books,  which  were  always  at  hand.  This  idea,  that  we 
can  refresh  our  recollections  and  renew  our  impres- 
sions often,  makes  us  careless  in  reading. 

I  have  been  through  life  uniformly  cheerful.  In- 
deed, my  life  has,  perhaps,  been  as  bright  with  happi- 
ness as  the  life  of  any  other  man.  I  have  always 
been  of  a  hopeful  temperament,  and  early  trained 
my  mind  to  hold  up  objects  in  a  pleasing  attitude, 
and  to  look  at  things  on  the  sunny  side,  quite  as 
much  as  upon  the  darker  aspects.  I  have  always 
made,  too,  my  calm  domestic  scenes  bright  and  glad- 
some ;  and  I  do  not  believe  the  sun  has  shone  upon  a 
happier  house  than  my  own.  The  candle  of  the  Lord 
has  shone  upon  our  tabernacle,  and  "  the  sure  mercies 
of  David  "  have  abode  beneath  our  roof 

There  is  one  feature  in  the  arrangements  of  Provi- 
dence, which  eludes  the  eye  of  the  careless  observer, 
and  which  well  deserves  an  attentive  consideration. 


^  A  BLIND  MINISTER.  305 

I  refer  to  a  system  of  compensation,  which  may  be 
observed  in  the  providence  of  God,  producing,  to  a 
greater  extent,  an  equality  in  the  allotments  of  differ- 
ent persons  than  is  commonly  supposed.  There  are  a 
great  many  admired  distinctions  in  life,  which  promote 
pride  on  one  side  and  awaken  envy  on  the  other.  The 
rich  are  often  elated  with  their  condition,  and  the  poor 
envy  those  whom  they  call  the  children  of  fortune. 
But  there  are,  after  all,  but  slender  grounds  for  these 
feelings.  I  have  usually  observed,  in  regard  to  those 
who  are  in  the  prosperous  conditions  of  life,  that  God 
flings  some  compensation  into  their  lot.  The  man  of 
wealth,  who  wishes  to  be  thought  to  dwell  on  some 
sun-gilt  eminence,  has  counterbalancing  evils;  and, 
when  we  get  behind  the  intrenchments  of  wealth,  we 
can  discover  equivalent  and  often  overbalancing  evils. 
I  have  happened,  in  the  course  of  my  life,  to  pass  be- 
hind the  curtain  that  hung  over  wealthy  families,  and 
have  seen  what  was  passing  behind  that  curtain.  I 
have  known  a  number  of  very  rich  families  who  had 
great  domestic  sorrows.  Some  of  the  family  were 
deformed,  some  were  hypochondriacal,  some  verged 
on  mental  aberration,  and  a  considerable  proportion 
were  made  unhappy  by  disease. 

The  particular  range  of  my  observation  has  im- 
pressed me  deeply  with  the  idea  that  there  are,  in  the 
providential  arrangements  of  our  Maker,  many  ten- 
dencies to  compensation  actively  at  work.  Men  are 
often  uneasy  in  the  place  whore  they  happen  to 
sojourn.  They  exchange  their  residence  on  that  ac- 
count, and,  by  removal,  escape  indeed  the  local  pres- 
sure of  their  first  residence,  but  encounter  local 
inconveniences   in  their   new   sojourn  more   painful 

26* 


306  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OP 

than  those  they  left  behind.  It  is  common  for  men 
who  live  in  northern  climates  to  sigh  for  the  warm 
regions  of  the  south.  They  complain,  in  the  northern 
portions  of  our  own  country,  that  they  are  constantly 
occupied  in  a  hard  struggle  with  nature,  expending 
their  energies  to  fell  the  forest  and  keep  off  the  wintry 
tempest,  and  provide  through  the  long  winter  for 
their  families  and  domestic  animals.  But  here  are 
cheering  compensations  allotted  by  an  overruling 
Providence.  The  rude  elements  of  the  north  give 
hardihood  to  resolution,  keenness  to  the  understand- 
ing, and  vigor  to  the  muscles.  They  purify  the  blood, 
and  lengthen  out  the  thread  of  life.  The  inhabitants 
of  warm  climates  sink  down  listlessly  under  the 
dominion  of  nature.  Sometimes,  indeed,  as  in  the  case 
of  Mahomet  and  his  followers,  stimulated  by  fanat- 
icism, they  may  push  their  power  to  the  north  ,*  but 
they  soon  retreat,  and  yield  to  the  steady  pressure  of 
northern  valor. 

Every  man  has  some  quality  of  mind,  some  disposi- 
tion of  heart,  or  some  secret  source  of  enjoyment 
peculiar  to  himself,  that,  singly  or  combined,  make  him 
unwilling  to  exchange  his  identity  and  condition  with 
those  of  any  other  person.  A  careful  observation  of 
life  under  the  dispensations  of  God  is  eminently  fitted 
to  teach  us  lessons  of  contentment,  and  incline  us  to 
obedience  to  the  mandate  of  Heaven,  which  requires 
us  to  learn,  in  whatever  state  we  are,  therewith  to  be 
content.  As  in  some  famous  kingdoms,  every  road 
leads  to  the  capital,  so,  in  the  kingdom  of  God,  every 
path  in  life,  pursued  with  virtue  and  contentment, 
leads  to  heaven,  the  city  of  the  Great  King. 

In  regard  to  the  loss  of  my  sight,  it  is  undoubtedly 


A  BLIND   MINISTER.  307 

considered  by  observers  a  great  calamity;  but  God  has 
thrown  in  counterbalancing  advantages,  so  that  I  do 
not  and  never  have  regretted  the  event.  It  has  been 
the  occasion  of  much  good  in  this  life,  and  I  trust 
will  send  forward  a  beneficent  influence  over  my  jour- 
ney in  the  life  to  come.  In  the  dark  inn  of  my  mor- 
tality I  look  out  of  the  window,  and  the  path  before 
me  seems  covered  with  summer  light. 

My  patrimony  I  exhausted  in  the  extended  course 
of  my  education,  so  that,  when  I  went  forth  into  the 
world  as  a  preacher,  I  had  an  empty  exchequer ;  but  I 
had  a  good  library,  and  was  not  in  debt.  Through 
my  labors  as  a  preacher,  without  charge,  I  received  a 
fair  and  sometimes  a  generous  compensation ;  and 
what  little  property  I  have  was  acquired  during  that 
period  of  my  life.  My  property  is  about  the  same  in 
amount  as  when  I  first  crossed  the  State  line  and  es- 
tablished myself  in  Green  River.  I  have  always  lived 
in  a  style  of  generous  but  frugal  hospitality.  My 
house  has  been  the  scene  of  a  great  many  comers 
and  goers,  and  I  have  always  been  fond  of  a  full 
house.  I  have  maintained  this  style  of  extended  hos- 
pitality, partly  from  taste  and  strong  social  feelings, 
and  partly  from  the  opportunity  which  it  afi'orded  me 
of  doing  good  to  others.  A  minister  can  do  more 
good  who  has  a  constant  succession  of  persons  about 
him,  as  his  opportunities  are  multipHed  for  imparting 
valuable  ideas  and  impressions ;  and  then,  at  his  own 
house  he  has  an  opportunity  of  presenting  to  his 
numerous  visitors  the  example  of  a  well-regulated. 
Christian  family.  My  income,  during  my  pastorate, 
though  my  congregations  have  been  large,  has  been 
slender  and  precarious  j  but  I  can  say,  with  gratitude, 


308  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF 

that,  if  the  Great  Head  of  the  Church  sent  me  forth 
without  scrip  or  purse,  he  has  been  a  kind  Master. 
I  have  lacked  nothing  essential  to  my  health,  comfort, 
or  usefulness.  I  should  have  been  glad  to  increase 
my  library  more  rapidly,  and  have  often  desired  to 
purchase  certain  books  which  I  could  not  obtain  with- 
out a  painful  and  improper  sacrifice.  I  should  have 
been  glad,  also,  to  have  had  a  larger  supply  of  money 
to  contribute  to  benevolent  objects,  and  to  the  com- 
fort of  the  unfortunate  and  the  poor.  What  I  could 
do  in  these  ways,  I  have  done  cheerfully  and  gladly  ; 
and  I  have  gone  to  an  extent  which  has  sometimes 
given  me  a  severe  twinge  of  self-denial.  I  have  sub- 
mitted to  these  inconveniences  to  set  a  good  example 
to  my  congregations,  and  teach  them  in  their  own 
experience,  the  great  lesson  of  our  Master,  that  "  It  is 
more  blessed  to  give  than  to  receive.'^ 

I  have  always  been  fond  of  the  young,  and  have 
mingled  with  them  to  a  great  extent.  My  associations 
with  the  young  and  gladsome  have  contributed  to  pre- 
serve my  buoyancy  of  feeling,  and  imparted  a  green- 
ness to  the  more  advanced  periods  of  life.  I  resolved 
in  early  life  to  cultivate,  while  I  lived,  every  grace  of 
feeling,  and  every  generous  impulse.  I  have  continued 
to  read  poetry,  and  all  the  other  departments  of  ele- 
gant literature,  with  unintermitted  pleasure  ;  but  my 
main  occupations  as  a  student  have  been  with  a  wide 
range  of  theological  study.  The  more  I  have  studied 
theology  in  its  diversified  departments,  the  more  I 
have  loved  it.  Indeed,  every  day  has  added  to  its  fas- 
cinations. I  have  kept  up  my  enterprising  habit  of 
reading  through  life. 

As  I  was  returning  from  And  over,  in  company  with 


A  BLIND  MINISTER.  309 

my  friend,  H.  D.  Sedgwick,  while  I  was  pursuing  my 
studies  in  that  institution,  the  stage  stopped  at  the 
hotel  in  Springfield  for  breakfast.  While  breakfast 
was  being  prepared,  I  inquired  for  a  friend  of  mine, 
of  the  Princeton  Seminary,  who  belonged  to  Spring- 
field, and  found  he  was  in  town.  He  was  instantly 
sent  for,  and  sat  by  my  side  at  the  breakfast-table. 
Our  conversation  turned  upon  books.  My  friend,  who 
was  at  that  time  a  theological  student,  inquired  of  me 
what  books  we  had  recently  published  at  Andover.  I 
told  him  we  had  just  brought  out  of  the  press  Owen's 
great  Exposition  of  the  Hebrews,  in  four  volumes, 
and  advised  him,  as  he  was  rich,  and  a  theological 
student,  to  purchase  a  copy.  "  Ah,"  said  he,  "  I  am 
too  old  to  begin  to  read  so  large  a  book,  and  shall 
not  think  of  buying  it."  He  was  only  two  or  three 
years  older  than  myself,  and  I  was  then  a  young  man. 
His  answer  dwelt  painfully  on  my  mind,  and,  when  we 
had  reached  Westfield,  our  next  stopping-place,  I  took 
out  my  memorandum-book  and  handed  it  to  Mr.  Sedg- 
wick, with  a  request  that  he  would  make  an  entry. 
"What,"  said  he,  "  shall  I  write?"—"  Mark  the  date, 
and  I  will  tell  you.  Resolved,  that  I  will  never  be 
too  old  to  begin  a  great  book.  It  is  as  well  to  die 
in  the  middle  of  a  great  book  as  at  the  end  of  a  small 
one."  This  recorded  resolution  I  have  preserved  to 
the  present  time,  and  it  has  been  a  light  over  my  path 
of  life.  I  grapple,  with  as  much  pleasure,  with  the 
largest  book  as  with  one  of  tiny  dimensions. 

To  advert  again  to  the  young:  they  have  fully  recip- 
rocated my  partialities.  They  have  had  an  aflSnity  for 
me,  and  have  always  been  disposed  to  gather  around 
me.     My  wishes  have  always  been  a  law  to  them,  and 


310  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP 

I  never  had  the  least  trouble  with  any  one  of  the 
multitude  of  boys  who  have  been  in  my  family,  or 
have  attended  my  steps  when  I  have  been  abroad.  I 
sometimes  walk  out  with  the  boy  who  lives  with  me, 
and  other  boys  who  see  us  often  join  us.  I  recollect 
instances  in  which  I  have  set  off  from  home  with 
only  my  own  boy,  and,  before  I  had  walked  a  mile, 
have  found  twelve  or  fifteen  in  my  retinue.  I  have 
loved  to  have  boys  about  me,  and  to  have  those  with 
whom  I  was  perfectly  familiar  climb  over  me  and  talk 
out  their  ideas  with  delightful  simplicity. 

Though  I  have  studied  hard,  I  have  found  a  great 
deal  of  time  for  society,  and  have  derived  from  it  as 
much  enjoyment  as  perhaps  ever  fell  to  the  lot  of  any 
man. 

Here  is  a  specimen  of  the  affinities  and  sympathies 
of  the  young  for  me.  Yesterday,  our  academy  closed 
its  year.  A  large  proportion  of  the  scholars  were 
from  out  of  town,  but  they  all  came,  with  the  most 
affectionate  enthusiasm,  to  bid  my  wife  and  me  fare- 
well, with  many  tears  and  kind  wishes  ,*  and  it  seemed 
to  us  as  though  we  were  parting  with  our  own  chil- 
dren. 

I  have  now  finished  my  task.  I  have  drawn  a  pic- 
ture of  my  own  life,  and  I  have  sketched  many  men 
and  things  of  my  time.  This  little  volume  has  been 
written  with  honesty  and  care ;  and,  if  I  have  some- 
times seemed  to  commend  myself,  it  has  been  because 
I  would  not  affect  any  modesty  which  I  did  not  feel, 
but  have  preferred  going  straight  onward  with  my 
story,  and  have  endeavored  to  speak  of  myself  with 
philosophical  impartiality.  If  I  had  been  writing  a 
history  of  my  times,  I  might  well  have  been  shy  of 


A    BLIND   MINISTER.  311 

myself;  but,  as  I  am  tlio  hero  of  the  drama,  it  would 
be  a  foolish  affectation  to  try  to  keep  the  main  subject 
out  of  sight. 

I  hope  this  narrative  may  prove  entertaining  and 
useful.  It  is  most  certainly  a  unique  history,  and 
may,  I  trust,  prove  stimulating  and  encouraging  to  my 
youthful  readers.  I  have  surmounted  great  difficul- 
ties in  the  path  of  life,  and  I  have  grappled  with  these 
difficulties  with  patient  perseverance.  My  remarks  on 
books,  and  various  passages  in  my  early  life,  will,  I 
trust,  prove  an  incitement  to  young  men  to  press 
forward  towards  the  goal  of  respectability  and  use- 
fulness. 

I  commend  this  little  volume  to  the  blessing  of 
God,  fervently  praying  that,  in  the  language  of  John- 
son, "  it  may  give  ardor  to  virtue,  and  confidence  to 
truth." 

I  ought  not  to  close  this  book  without  a  tribute 
of  grateful  and  pious  affection  to  my  wife,  who  has 
greatly  assisted  me  by  searching  my  old  letters,  and 
by  her  sagacious  suggestions  in  the  composition 
of  the  volume.  In  turning  the  eye  of  memory  back 
upon  my  varied  course  of  reading,  I  perceive  that 
many  authors  have  left  affectionate  testimonials  to  the 
virtues  of  their  wives ;  but,  without  claiming  the  dig- 
nity of  authorship,  or  any  desire  to  imitate  the  exam- 
ple of  authors  in  this  particular,  I  am  impelled  by  the 
fulness  of  my  heart  to  pay  this  tribute  to  domestic 
affection.  There  are  no  pictures  in  the  poetry  of 
human  life  so  sweet  as  those  which  represent  the  do- 
mestic felicity  of  those  authors  who  married  happily. 
Many  literary  men  have  had  unsympathizing  wives  J 
but  I  bless  God  for  an  intelligent  and  tender  compan- 


312  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  A   BLIND   MINISTER. 

ion,  who  has  cheered  me  under  every  pressure,  and 
illuminated  my  path  in  every  scene  of  darkness  and 
sorrow.  Her  strong  natural  sense,  refined  by  an 
education  acquired  under  my  own  supervision,  which 
moulded  her  to  my  taste  and  manners,  has  rendered 
her  an  inestimable  blessing.  May  the  providence  of 
that  gracious  Being  who  bestowed  her  upon  me,  long 
preserve  this  hallowed  domestic  relation,  which  has 
been  the  source  of  so  much  mutual  happiness  and 
improvement. 


THE    END. 


d 


